School climate can be thought of as the ‘quality and character of school life’ and has been positively associated with learners’ social-emotional adjustment and self-esteem, which is strongly linked to academic achievement. Based on data from the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Lolita Winnaar looks at how principals, teachers and learners perceive the climate of their schools and how this is associated with mathematics achievement.