Not only in North Carolina, but in all states across the country, high stakes accountability is one of the primary responsibilities facing educators, particularly in light of the No Child Left Behind legislation. A North Carolina elementary school that was deemed as a low performing school in 1996-97, the first year of the state's accountability plan, and has made steady progress in student achievement was studied. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine, within the framework of systemic change, how school culture and leadership contribute to improving the low academic performance of students.