The study investigated the effect of poor academic background on students’ performance in physics in Birnin Kebbi Metropolis. The study adopted descriptive survey design to collect data on effect of poor background on students’ performance in physics in Birnin Kebbi Metropolis. From the population of 5,285 students’ and 34 teachers’, using stratified sampling; six (6) schools were selected in three strata that is mixed schools, Boys schools and Girls schools. Further, in each sampled school only 30 (ss2) students’ were involved in the study and 2 physics teachers’. Data were collected using questionnaire for the physics teachers and (ss2) students’ in the sampled schools. The findings were summarized and reported using percentage and frequency distribution tables. The study found and concluded that family background, teachers’ attitude towards work, methods of teaching and gender affect students’ performance in physics in senior secondary school in Birnin Kebbi Metropolis. Finally, the study recommended that policy makers/ministry of Education should ensure proffer curriculum implementation by physics teachers and increase enrolment in physics.