Education and schooling enable learners to acquire the necessary skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to become useful citizensof the society. However, achievement of these attributes has been affected by low academic performance in schools especially inKipipiri Sub-county, Kenya. This study sought to find out the influence of school culture on academic performance. It focused on two aspects of school culture: school rituals and language policies. Specifically, to what extent could the two aspects predict pupils’ academic performance in the Sub-county? Using the descriptive survey research design, data were collected from a sample of 1563 respondents selected from a total population of 4173. Itcomprised 60 headteachers, 60 deputy headteachers, 416 teachers and 1027 pupils. A questionnaire was used where the collecteddata were analyzed both descriptively and inferentially with hypotheses tested at? = .05 using simple regression.Results indicated thatschool rituals (r=.671, p=.000)and school language policies(r=.639, p=.000)had a statistically significant influence on performance.The study therefore concluded that school rituals and language policies were significant correlates of pupils’ academic performance. Thestudy recommendsthat schoolsnurture and develop cultures that galvanize the school communities for effective achievement of the school aspirations.

Keywords: Academic performance;Language policies;School community;School organization; School rituals