Relationship Between School Climate and Academic Achievement Among Students in Public Secondary Schools in Kiambu County, Kenya

Despite ongoing efforts to foster better academic success, many schools continue to struggle with low students’ academic achievement, even as quality education remains a global priority in the 21st century. Previous studies consistently connect low academic achievement to environmental and psychological factors. However, relatively few studies have examined the role of school climate on academic achievement. Therefore, this study explored the relationship between school climate and academic achievement among Form Three students in public secondary schools in Kiambu County, Kenya. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, this study focused on peer pressure and its relation to academic achievement. A descriptive correlational research design was employed to establish the relationship between the study variables. All Form Three students in 2023 were targeted from which a sample size of 379 students from five public secondary schools was selected using purposive, stratified, and simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected from students using questionnaires, and school academic records. To analyze quantitative data, descriptive and inferential statistics, specifically, Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used. Peer pressure showed a significant negative correlation with academic achievement (r (377) = – 0.245, p< 0.05). This study therefore recommends that educators and stakeholders should develop interventions geared towards fostering positive peer influences to improve academic achievement.