<p>Whether a growth mindset predicts positive outcomes for rural adolescents in a less stressful academic climate remains unclear. This longitudinal study aimed to examine the short-term link between a growth mindset and rural adolescents’ learning engagement and anxiety, as well as the moderating role of perceived academic stress climate. A total of 618 Chinese adolescents with rural household registration (<i>M</i>_age = 13.32 years, SD = 0.72) were followed up after six months. This study reveals that perceived academic stress climate moderates the link between a growth mindset and subsequent learning engagement and anxiety. Specifically, the positive effect of a growth mindset on rural adolescents’ later learning engagement is more pronounced under a low perceived academic stress climate than under a high one. Moreover, a growth mindset negatively predicts rural adolescents’ later anxiety under a low-stress climate, whereas it is not a significant predictor under a high-stress climate. The findings suggest that a less stressful academic climate is a critical context in which the adaptive benefits of a growth mindset are observed among rural adolescents.</p>