We sought to ascertain the perceptions of teachers and principals with regard to the factors affecting student achievement. Data collection was achieved by means of a questionnaire administered to teachers and principals (N = 116) from each francophone elementary school in New Brunswick, Canada. Results show that the teachers attributed student performance as much to external factors (student-related) as to internal factors (teacher-related), while the principals attributed student performance to external factors (teacher-related). Overall findings indicate that the participating teachers and principals gave greater importance to teaching quality and to student motivation and commitment.