Community participation in school governance is a critical aspect of educational development in Ethiopia, where traditional models often lack community involvement. The study employed a mixed-methods approach including surveys, interviews, and document analysis to gather data from randomly selected schools across four regions of Ethiopia. Community participation varied significantly between regions, with the Northern region showing the highest level of active involvement in school management (78%), followed by the Southern region (65%). The findings highlight the importance of regional context and policy support for fostering community engagement in Ethiopian schools. Policy makers should prioritise capacity building programmes to enhance community leaders' skills, while educational institutions must adopt more inclusive governance models. Community participation, School governance, Ethiopia, Educational development