Previous research has examined whether manipulation of one environmental element, such as sound, significantly affected group norms for achievement. This investigation examined the relation of preferred and actual acoustic environment on reading performance. Subjects were 32 male and 32 female sixth-graders from a suburban school in New York State who had indicated, on the Learning Style Inventory of R. Dunn and others (1979), a strong preference for either extreme quiet or extreme noise when studying or learning. Half were given a reading test in the acoustic environment (loud or quiet) that matched their identified preferences for sound; half were tested in the mismatched condition. Subjects were administered the Gates MacGinitie Reading Tests and a semantic differential scale designed to measure student attitudes when tested in matched/mismatched acoustic environments. Students performed best in the environment that matched their preferences. The implications for the classroom of student preference and environmental noise are discussed. The biological basis of individual acoustic requirements is considered. Environmental elements in meeting student preference can be responded to in the classroom at virtually no cost. There are 39 references and a 17-item supplemental bibliography. (SLD)