A wide variety of school-based physical activity contexts have been recently associated with various measures of academic performance. Of these studies, a small number employing objective measures of student fitness have identified a relationship with academic achievements. However, even among these studies, the fitness-academic link has not been conclusively recognized or regularly assessed with regards to academic behaviors and socio-demographic variables. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among these variables by using objective measures of fitness, standardized Language Arts and Math test scores, attendance records, discipline actions, and socio-demographic information from a sample of 2,992 Mississippi (USA) public school children in grades 3-8. The sample consisted of students who were mostly male (52.4%), white (52.3%), in grades 3-5 (64.2%), within a healthy weight range (54.1%), and qualified for free/reduced price lunch (63.7%). The results indicated a statistically significant positive correlation between fitness and standardized test scores in Language Arts and Math and a statistically significant negative relationship with school absences. The relationships remained significant while controlling for gender, race, and socioeconomic status. Given that students who were more fit had higher test scores and fewer absences, these findings warrant consideration in the educational policy making process. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)