Purpose: This article aims to report the findings of a research project exploring Mauritian principals' receptivity to the main tenets inherent in Total Quality Management (TQM). The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) framework (aligned with, and an outcome of, the TQM movement) provides a set of criteria for organizational quality assessment and improvement in the business, healthcare and education sectors. Given the imperative to improve the quality of schools in Mauritius, this study was designed to investigate the usefulness of the widely accepted MBNQA framework in the Mauritian context. Design/methodology/approach: A nationwide questionnaire survey of school principals explored the nature and strength of the Baldrige theory of relationships between leadership, systems and processes of primary and secondary schools and the ensuing outcomes. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted. Findings: The findings indicate that Mauritian school leaders play a critical role in influencing school outcomes directly and indirectly through the inner workings of the schooling system. Research limitations/implications: The research relied on principals' views as the unique source of data about school leadership. The perspectives of the other stakeholders within schools, including teachers, students and parents, should also count and would offer a richer description of leadership reality in Mauritian schools. Originality/value: This is the first ever study assessing empirically the notion of "quality" in primary and secondary schools in Mauritius at the national level. It contributes new perspectives about leadership for school improvement. (Contains 6 tables and 2 figures.)