Although many Latinx students’ educational outcomes have improved in recent years, some Latinx subgroups are still academically struggling–attributable at least in part to the failure of schools and teachers to respond to their specific needs and strengths. Using data from the ECLS-K:2011, this study examines the emotional climate of kindergarten classrooms–a combination of interrelated factors including teacher ethnicity, expectations, and relationships with students–and how emotional climate influences Latinx students’ growth in approaches to learning. Approaches to learning are critical socio-emotional dimensions that influence academic learning, school engagement, and school persistence.