This study examined the relation between classroom cultural and achievement-related characteristics and their influence on social outcomes in a sample of 74 fifth grade African American youth (41 girls; 33 boys) ages 10-13 years. Trained observers rated classrooms according to Boykin's (Boykin, Tyler, & Miller, 2005) definition of mainstream (competition, individualism, bureaucracy) and Afrocultural (verve, communalism, affect, movement, orality) cultural styles. Classrooms in low-income schools and with more African American students had lower levels of Afrocultural styles. Significant interactions between mainstream and Afrocultural variables suggested that youth in classrooms with high levels of both tend to perform better in reading and mathematics than those in other groups. Afrocultural, but not mainstream, classroom cultural characteristics were positively related to teacher reports of social skills and negatively related to problem behaviors. Implications for instructional practice are discussed.