<![CDATA[Purpose:This study aims to empirically evaluate the strategic role of sustainable leadership in enhancing school resilience and institutional competitive advantage across secondary educational institutions navigating rapid technological transformation and global uncertainties. Method: A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was executed, collecting primary data from a purposive sample of school principals, vice principals, and teachers using structured five-point Likert scale questionnaires. The latent constructs—encompassing long-term orientation, ethical governance, adaptive capacity, and educational quality—were evaluated through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS with a bootstrapping procedure. Findings:The empirical results indicate that sustainable leadership significantly enhances both school resilience and direct competitive advantage. Moreover, school resilience directly strengthens institutional competitiveness while acting as a vital partial mediator, establishing a dual-pathway structural mechanism through which sustainable leadership practices foster institutional differentiation, stakeholder trust, and sustained educational quality. Practical implications:This research offers actionable insights for school leaders and educational policymakers to operationalize ethical decision-making, teacher empowerment, and collaborative governance, enabling institutions to convert internal adaptive resilience into superior organizational performance, market differentiation, and stakeholder confidence. Originality/value: This study advances educational management literature by establishing a novel PLS-SEM empirical framework that redefines school resilience from a passive risk-mitigation dynamic into an active strategic mediator driving long-term competitive success.]]>
