This paper reports the results of a study of the reading performance of 368 Nigerian primary‐five pupils. The study assessed performance in reading English as a second language in relation to variables such as (I) language environment, (2) reading resources, (3) attitude towards reading English, (4) exposure to the mass media (English), (5) type of school, (6) sex differences, and (7) age. Data were collected from tests of comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, and rate of reading and from questionnaires administered to pupils, teachers, and head teachers. Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that type of school and reading resources were the best predictors of scores on the reading tests. The multiple regression analyses also showed that attitude towards reading English contributed significantly to the prediction of reading performance, although this variable, taken separately, did not correlate very highly with scores on the reading tests. Exposure to the mass media, and age, acting in combination with other variables, accounted for some of the variation in the reading scores. Language environment as a single factor correlated substantially with reading performance, but the influence of this variable was apparently suppressed in the prediction analyses. Sex was one of the least important variables in the prediction of the reading performance score