There is a new trend that school quality development does not only rely on Total Quality Management but also considers character. This study seeks to explore a character-based quality development model developed by Islamic schools in Indonesia, as well as to test the effectiveness of this model in developing school quality. The study of this research used a qualitative descriptive method. To obtain the validity of the data, the study used interviews, documentation, and observation methods. The object of study includes three well-known Islamic high schools in Indonesia, namely: Islamic High School 2 Malang, Agency for the study and application of technology High School, and Islamic Senior High School Tambakberas Jombang. This study found that the successful implementation of quality management is influenced by the existence of main character as the basis for all management activities. Thus, Total Quality Management (TQM) is not the main cause of school success, but the implementation of Value-Based quality Management is a key factor. School's ability to integrate value-based management with strategic management becomes a new pattern of character-based quality management. At the end, this character-based quality management model is expected to be a prototype for more effective and efficient education quality management.