Abstract

• This study aimed to determine principals’ leadership styles and student achievements in Matriculation Examination in public secondary schools in Bago (West) Region. Quantitative method design was used in this study. The sample of 52 principals and 1551 teachers were selected by using purposive sampling. A set of instruments for principals’ leadership styles questionnaire and student achievements inventory was used to collect data. The reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) were 0.73 for principals’ leadership styles. The findings suggested that principals mostly practiced transactional leadership styles, followed by transformational leadership styles, and occasionally exhibited passive/avoidant leadership styles. Moreover, the findings suggested that the difference between principals’ leadership types and student’s achievement. The transformational leadership styles, transactional leadership styles, and passive/avoidant leadership styles are significantly different on student achievements as low pass rate schools, average pass rate schools and high pass rate schools.