Transformational, Transactional, and Passive Leadership in Urban and Rural Schools: A Comparative Study in the Spanish Context

School leadership plays a key role in shaping school organization and professional practices, yet limited attention has been paid to how leadership styles vary across school contexts. Differences between rural and urban schools remain underexplored in the Spanish context. This study examines differences in leadership styles between rural and urban schools, focusing on transformational, transactional, and passive-avoidant leadership. Data were collected from 400 teachers across 31 schools (20 rural and 11 urban) who evaluated the leadership exercised by their school management teams using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ5X). Non-parametric analyses were conducted to compare leadership styles and examine relationships, as well as assess the influence of school size. The results indicate significant contextual differences: rural schools reported higher levels of transformational and transactional leadership, whereas urban schools exhibited higher levels of passive-avoidant leadership. Transformational and transactional leadership were positively correlated in both contexts, while passive-avoidant leadership was negatively associated with the other styles only in urban schools. Regression analyses showed that school size significantly predicted leadership styles, with smaller schools fostering more proactive leadership practices. These findings underscore the importance of context in shaping leadership dynamics and suggest that relational features of rural leadership may inform leadership development in urban school settings.