The School Improvement Program (SIP) is central to Ethiopia’s strategy for educational quality, yet regional adoption remains inconsistent. This study investigated SIP preparation, practices, challenges, and opportunities in Amhara Region secondary schools using a pragmatist stance and an Explanatory Sequential Mixed-Methods design (QUAN → QUAL).In the quantitative phase, data were gathered from 1,152 teachers, 84 students, and 84 School Improvement Committee (SIC) members via 5-point Likert scale questionnaires. Analysis included one-sample t-tests to measure implementation against the expected mean (3.0) and One-Way ANOVA to identify perception gaps. The qualitative phase involved semi-structured interviews with 10 principals and documentary reviews. Thematic analysis explained statistical trends, while content analysis evaluated the alignment between SIP documents and school realities.The findings revealed significant readiness challenges, with mean scores (M = 2.175, p < .001, d = - 2.51) falling well below expectations, indicating under-preparedness. Reported practices reflected symbolic compliance rather than substantive reform; schools prioritized administrative checklists over pedagogical improvement. A critical 65% funding deficit forced leaders to divert academic resources toward urgent infrastructure repairs, reducing principals to clerical managers rather than instructional mentors. Furthermore, contextual mismatches existed, as SIP frameworks ignored local linguistic realities and agricultural cycles.Despite these hurdles, community resilience offered key opportunities. Informal support systems, such as Iddir associations and alumni networks, sustained schools by offsetting budget shortfalls. Ultimately, SIP implementation was found to be compliance-oriented, producing structural changes without deep pedagogical impact.To address these gaps, the study proposes a Phased Implementation Model requiring a minimum infrastructure baseline before evaluating advanced teaching practices, decentralization of SIP toolkits to reflect local language and culture, and the hiring of school office assistants to reduce administrative burdens, thereby enabling principals to prioritize instructional leadership