Reading culture has a significant influence on students’ academic performance. In this regard, this study was conducted in Misungwi District, Tanzania with the purpose of finding out how good reading culture in secondary schools influence students’ academic performance. Specifically, the current research has three objectives. The first objective aimed at finding out the prevailing reading conditions that may affect academic performance. The second objective was determining the hindrances to development of reading culture, and the third objective was considering the respondents’ opinion about reading in relation to students’ academic performance. A mixed methods research approach was employed and convergent parallel research design was applied. Thestudyinvolvedatotalof97respondents inthecategories of:Districteducation officer,heads of school, teachersandstudentswhowereselectedthroughpurposefulsamplingprocedure and simple random sampling procedure. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews.The results showed that reading culture influences students’ academic performance to a great extent because school teachers are aware of the factors that can lead to a good reading. Furthermore, the study revealed the prevailing reading conditions that may affect academic performance. The factors include: lack of interest in reading, home environment, social economic status of parents and laziness. The study recommends that students be provided with conducive environment for reading which have positive impact on their academic performance.