In the past decade, teachers and researchers have recognized the vital role school climate plays in the public school setting in the United States (Thapa, Cohen, Guffey & Higgins-D'Alessandro, 2013). One of the greatest indicators of achievement is the relationship between school and student socioeconomic status (Sirin, 2005). According to Bryk and Schneider (2003), if schools create positive learning environments, students will achieve at a higher level than what their socioeconomic background would otherwise predict. The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify the relationship between school climate and student academic achievement in reading at the elementary level in public schools in Virginia, USA. The researcher examined extant data from the 2018-2019 school year, which included Grade 5 Reading Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) pass rates and school climate surveys from two school divisions in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The findings indicated that the school climate dimension had the strongest correlation to the Reading SOL pass rates in both school districts. School leaders and building-level principals could use these findings to better understand the importance of school climate and its impact on student achievement.