This study examines how a principal’s curriculum leadership facilitates the integration of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) principles into school-based curricula and drives deep organizational cultural transformation, using an elementary school in an indigenous region of eastern Taiwan (hereafter referred to as P elementary school) as a case study. A qualitative case study design was adopted, drawing on M. Fullan’s three dimensions of educational change and E. H. Schein’s three levels of organizational culture. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews (with the principal, administrative directors, and teachers), document analysis, and on-site observations, supplemented by thematic analysis and triangulation to ensure the reliability and validity of data interpretation. The findings highlight three major aspects: (1) the principal guided the reform with a clear vision and institutional design, establishing a mechanism that links curriculum development with administrative support; (2) through collaborative lesson planning and professional dialogue, teachers gradually incorporated issues such as environmental education, food and agriculture education, and class governance into the school-based curriculum, “Eight Directions of Prosperity.” These efforts corresponded to core Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), demonstrating professional internalization and curriculum innovation; and (3) by transforming spatial environments and linking with the community, the school actualized the concept of “the campus as a learning resource.” This fostered an interactive feedback mechanism between the administration and teaching practices, propelling the ESG concept from a value proposition into curriculum implementation, and ultimately transforming it into the intrinsic fabric of the organizational culture. In conclusion, this study proposes an autonomously developed ESG implementation pathway for small rural schools, demonstrating how curriculum leadership serves as a key mechanism linking educational transformation. These findings offer valuable reference for both theoretical construction and educational practice.