This study systematically reviews the research progress on the impact of educational leadership on student academic achievement from 2000 to 2024. It finds that the theoretical connotation of educational leadership has continuously evolved, shifting from an early focus on formal leaders to perspectives such as distributed leadership and teacher leadership. As a research hotspot, teacher leadership has seen in-depth exploration of its structural connotations, developmental characteristics, and enhancement pathways. Studies indicate that educational leadership indirectly affects student academic achievement through mediating variables like school culture and teacher behaviors. Existing research has limitations such as insufficient empirical evidence, and future studies should focus on the mechanism of specific leadership types and pay attention to contextual differences.