Research shows meaningful learning happens when a school’s climate is positive, respectful, and productive. This brief builds on this research using available data on school performance, school climate, and student demographics in California to examine how school climate can explain why some schools consistently outperform other schools academically. This report suggests that school climate may be a key factor influencing academic achievement.

Key Findings:

  • Students at California secondary schools that performed best academically reported a more positive school climate than students at schools that did not perform as well in the same time period.
  • Students at the highest-performing schools reported positive perceptions of supports and engagement at school, and they reported less violence, victimization, and substance use, compared with their peers at lower-performing schools.