Abstract

Objectives: The study aimed to identify the challenges facing the implementation of school accreditation standards across its dimensions: administrative and organizational, financial and material, human, and technological, in public schools in Al-Khobar Governorate. Methods: The study employed the descriptive survey method, and the questionnaire was administered to a sample of 185 school principals in public schools in Al-Khobar Governorate, selected through a comprehensive census method. Results: The results revealed that the challenges of implementing school accreditation standards were very high, with the human dimension ranking first (Mean = 4.75, SD = 3.25), followed by the administrative and organizational dimension (Mean = 4.22, SD = 3.27), the technological dimension (Mean = 4.03, SD = 3.41), and finally the financial and material dimension (Mean = 4.01, SD = 2.43). The results also showed no differences attributable to gender or years of service, while differences were found in favor of principals of the elementary stage. Conclusions: The study recommends developing human resources through improved recruitment, training, and professional development, providing incentives and reducing workload, designing specialized support programs for elementary school principals, as well as simplifying administrative and technical procedures and enhancing infrastructure and technical support to ensure the effective implementation of accreditation standards.