This multilevel study examined the relationship between school climate and academic achievement. Using the Educational Longitudinal Survey (ELS, 2002), and a sample of 16,258 students and 1954 schools nationwide, we found that student-level perception of school climate--especially the student learning environment--was highly predictive of academic success in math and reading standardized test scores. This study confirmed that, among school climate variables at the school level, worse institutional facilities have a negative impact on student achievement and higher levels of institutional surveillance negatively affected the positive effects that student perceptions of safety and their learning environments had on student success. Finally, reducing high levels of institutional surveillance was found to mitigate socioeconomic inequalities.