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Introduction: There are different prediction equations for estimating resting energy expenditure (REE) in children. However, there is not consensus on which it is the most appropriate for use in Mexican pediatric population. Objective: To know the correlation of REE measured by indirect calorimetry with different estimates from prediction equations in a group of school children from Mexico City. Material and method: A cross-sectional study with schoolchildren aged 6 to 12 years (n = 63) was carried out. REE was measured by indirect calorimetry, which was used as reference to assess the accuracy of the prediction equations of Schofield, FAO/WHO, Tverskaya and Harris- Benedict. To assess the agreement between measured TEE and prediction equations, intra-class correlation coefficients (r) were estimated. Results: In the total population the four equations overestimated REE, average differences were from 12.1 a 97.5 kcal. The equations that had the highest agreement with the measured TEE were Schofield and FAO/ WHO (r = 0.74), whereas Tverskaya and Harris-Benedict had the lowest (r = 0.64). Agreement was lower in younger children, especially with the equations of Harris-Benedict (r = 0.33) and Tverskaya (r = 0.47). Conclusions: Although it is required more research on the convenience of using prediction equations of TEE in the Mexican pediatric population, our results showed that the equations of FAO/WHO or Schofield are more appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]