This study investigates which aspects of school climate relate to progress in student learning outcomes and whether students have equitable access to a positive school climate. School climate is a multifaceted concept; systematic reviews identify four key dimensions: academic (promotion of learning), community (interpersonal relationships), safety (environmental security and absence of bullying), and institutional (organizational structure and resources) (Wang & Degol, 2016; Thapa et al., 2013). While these dimensions are critical to cognitive and affective outcomes (Cohen et al., 2009), it remains unclear which specific dimensions most significantly drive learning progress and educational equality (Berkowitz et al., 2017). Current research often focuses on single dimensions, and findings remain inconsistent due to varying conceptualizations and methodological limitations (Nilsen & Teig, 2022). Furthermore, most studies rely on cross-sectional designs prone to omitted variable bias and reversed causality, hindering robust causal inferences. Consequently, there is an urgent need for longitudinal research using representative samples and validated frameworks that allow for cross-national comparisons. This study addresses these gaps by utilizing the complete longitudinal dataset from the TIMSS Longitudinal project and adopting the framework by Wang and Degol (2016). The analysis encompasses all participating countries across two cohorts: a primary cohort (Grade 4 to 5) across nine countries, and a lower secondary cohort (Grade 8 to 9) across three of these countries. Using two-level regression analyses (students nested within classes), the study investigates the impact of the four school climate dimensions on mathematics achievement gain. Additionally, it examines the relationship between student socioeconomic status and school climate to determine if positive school climates are equitably distributed. Missing data will be handled using robust maximum likelihood (RML) estimation to ensure the integrity of the longitudinal findings. The data will be available in February 2026. Based on previous research synthesis (e.g. Nilsen and Teig, 2022; Wang and Degol, 2016), we hypothesize that absence of bullying (safety dimension) and academic emphasis (academic dimension), alongside student sense of belonging (community dimension), will demonstrate stronger impacts on cognitive outcomes than physical resources (institutional dimension). However, we expect results to vary across countries and grades. We further hypothesize that the equitable distribution of a positive school climate will vary according to the broader educational equity profiles of the participating countries (Berkowitz et al., 2017). These findings will offer evidence-based insights for school leaders and policymakers regarding the role of school climate in fostering both academic excellence and social equality.

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