This study investigated the impact of learning styles on academic performance of 9th graders in middle school. 140 students in two cities of Guangdong Province, China, were recruited. Learning Style Inventory and Multi-dimensional Group Intelligence Test for Adolescence were administered. Also, scores of High School Entrance Examination was collected about one month after the examination date. Results showed that students who prefer to study through discussion with peers are more likely to achieve better academic achievement when controlling for other covariates. Two types of learning styles, discussion and programming, showed additional contribution (ΔR^2 = .10) to predict later academic achievement beyond gender and intelligence.