<b>Head teachers‘ strategic planning and pupils‘ academic performance in Masindi district, Uganda. A cross-sectional study.</b>

Background: Effective headteacher strategic planning encompassing vision setting, resource allocation, stakeholder involvement, and monitoring has been linked in the literature to improved academic outcomes. This study assessed the association between headteachers' strategic planning and pupils' academic performance in public primary schools in Masindi District.  Methodology: A cross-sectional research design was used, drawing from a target population of head teachers, deputy head teachers, teachers, School Management Committee chairpersons, and district education officials. Ninety teachers were surveyed using a self-administered, closed-ended Likert-scale questionnaire covering dimensions of strategic planning and perceived academic performance. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20, with descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations) and Pearson correlation used to test the relationship between strategic planning and academic performance.  Results: All 90 questionnaires were returned (100% response rate). Respondents were predominantly female (60.0%, n=54), aged 25–34 years (61.1%, n=5). Strategic planning practices were rated low to moderate vision/mission clarity (mean=1.31, SD=0.744), goal setting (mean=1.76, SD=0.975), stakeholder involvement in planning (mean=1.79, SD=0.828), and resource allocation (mean=1.96, SD=1.498). Conversely, perceived academic performance was rated high to very high by pupils performing well in PLE (mean=4.24, SD=1.193) and achieving Division One/Two (mean=4.24, SD=1.063). A strong, statistically significant positive correlation was found between strategic planning and academic performance (r=0.737, p<0.001, n=90).  Conclusion: Strategic planning is significantly associated with pupils' academic performance in Masindi District, despite headteachers currently demonstrating weak practices in vision setting, stakeholder engagement, and resource allocation.  Recommendation: Headteachers should strengthen school vision/mission articulation, set SMART goals, actively involve parents and community stakeholders in planning and budgeting, and improve transparent resource allocation and communication to enhance pupil academic outcomes.