<![CDATA[This study examined how principal leadership, work motivation, and work discipline were associated with the performance of public elementary school teachers in a district where teacher performance indicators declined between 2022 and 2025. A quantitative associative (correlational) cross-sectional design was used in Ungaran Timur District, Semarang Regency, Indonesia, where 209 teachers worked in 23 schools. Using simple random sampling from the teacher lists of all 23 schools, 125 teachers were selected, exceeding the minimum sample sizes recommended for regression with three predictors (74 for the overall model and 107 for individual predictors). Each variable was measured with a five-item Likert questionnaire. Item–total correlations (0.592–0.898) supported item validity and Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.772 to 0.839, but an exploratory factor analysis did not fully reproduce the four intended constructs, which is reported as a limitation. Multiple regression was applied after the classical assumptions were met, and Harman's single-factor test (first factor = 35.6% of variance) did not indicate a single dominant method factor. Each predictor was positively and significantly associated with teacher performance, and together they explained 81.0% of its variance (p < 0.001), leaving 19.0% to factors outside the model. Work discipline had the largest standardized coefficient (0.388), followed by principal leadership (0.366) and work motivation (0.281), suggesting that discipline, as the behavioural factor closest to daily teaching tasks, is the most direct link to measurable performance. By estimating the relative contributions of the three predictors in one model for district-level public elementary schools, the study clarifies mixed previous findings. Because discipline carried the largest weight, principals and district supervisors should prioritise routine monitoring of attendance, lesson planning, and assessment deadlines, supported by academic supervision and fair recognition.]]>
