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School principal resume example

A principal’s resume with 19 years in public schools and six years leading a Title I middle school. Superintendents and hiring panels look for a turnaround story with data: achievement, attendance, culture and the staff you kept, plus the license and budget experience to run a building.

School principal resume example, page 1 of 2LORENZO BATISTEMiddle School Principallorenzo.batiste@example.com · (901) 555-0193 · Memphis, TN · linkedin.com/in/lorenzobatisteSUMMARYPrincipal with 19 years in urban public schools: nine as a math teacher, four as an assistant principal and six leading a Title Imiddle school of 720 students. I build leadership teams that look at data every week, keep good teachers, and make school aplace students want to be. My school moved from the lowest to the highest state growth level in three years.EXPERIENCEPrincipalJul 2020 – PresentWolf River Middle School, Shelby Bend School DistrictMemphis, TN•Lead a Title I school of 720 students in grades 6 to 8, 68 staff and a $6.4 million budget.•Moved the school from TVAAS Level 1 to Level 5 composite growth in three years; students on track or mastered in TCAPEnglish language arts rose from 14% to 31%.•Cut chronic absenteeism from 34% to 17% with an attendance team, daily family outreach and mentors for 120 students.•Raised teacher retention from 68% to 89% by rebuilding new-teacher induction, protecting planning time and creating 8teacher leader roles.•Reduced out-of-school suspensions by 58% after adopting restorative practices, while serious incidents also fell.Assistant PrincipalJul 2016 – Jun 2020Riverbluff High School, Shelby Bend School DistrictMemphis, TN•Supervised and evaluated 30 teachers using the TEAM evaluation model, with coaching cycles for every new teacher.•Built the master schedule for 1,400 students, adding 6 AP and dual enrollment sections.•Ran the 9th grade academy, raising on-time promotion to 10th grade from 74% to 88%.Mathematics Teacher and Math Instructional CoachAug 2007 – Jun 2016Riverbluff High School, Shelby Bend School DistrictMemphis, TN•Taught Algebra I and Geometry; math coach for a department of 12 for the last three years.EDUCATIONM.Ed. in Educational Leadership2013 – 2015University of MemphisMemphis, TNB.S. in Mathematics2003 – 2007Tennessee State UniversityNashville, TNLICENSESInstructional Leader License, Professional (ILL-P)2019Tennessee Department of EducationProfessional Teacher License, Mathematics (6-12)2010Tennessee Department of EducationLorenzo Batiste · 1 / 2
School principal resume example, page 2 of 2AWARDSPrincipal of the Year2024Shelby Bend School DistrictSKILLSInstructional leadership · Teacher evaluation and coaching · School improvement planning · Title I budgeting · MTSS ·Data-driven instruction · Master scheduling · Restorative practices · Teacher recruitment and retention ·Special education compliance · Family and community partnerships · Crisis managementLorenzo Batiste · 2 / 2
School principalUse this example

What recruiters look for

  • Student outcomes: state growth measures, proficiency trends, graduation or promotion rates, compared over several years.
  • School culture and climate: attendance, discipline, family engagement, survey results.
  • Talent: teacher retention, hiring, coaching and evaluation, teacher leaders grown.
  • Operations: budget size, Title I and grant management, master schedule, compliance.
  • Administrator license: the state’s school leader license and the path you came through.

Writing the summary

Give your years, roles and the school you lead now (level, size, setting), then one sentence on your leadership approach and your strongest result. Keep it under 70 words.

The summary in this example

Principal with 19 years in urban public schools: nine as a math teacher, four as an assistant principal and six leading a Title I middle school of 720 students. I build leadership teams that look at data every week, keep good teachers, and make school a place students want to be. My school moved from the lowest to the highest state growth level in three years.

Assistant principal applying for a first principalship

Assistant principal with five years at a 1,600-student high school, leading instruction for math and science, the master schedule and 9th grade transition. I have evaluated 35 teachers a year and led the school improvement plan that raised the graduation rate from 81% to 89%.

Elementary principal

Elementary principal with seven years leading a K-5 school of 500 students. I put early literacy first: our third grade reading proficiency rose from 32% to 55% after we trained every K-3 teacher in structured literacy and added a daily intervention block.

Bullet points that work

Strong lines for this role, beyond the ones in the example. Borrow the shape and put in your own numbers.

  • Raised the four-year graduation rate from 78% to 90% in four years with credit recovery and a ninth grade on-track team.
  • Hired 40 teachers over three years with a 92% second-year retention rate.
  • Managed a $9 million budget, redirecting $600,000 in Title I funds to interventionists and tutoring.
  • Opened a school-based health clinic with a community partner, serving 400 students in its first year.
  • Led the school out of the state’s lowest-performing list in two years.
  • Grew family attendance at conferences from 35% to 80% with evening and virtual options.
  • Cut the number of students referred to special education by 25% through a stronger MTSS process while keeping every IEP on time.
  • Launched a teacher residency with a local university that placed 12 residents, 9 of whom were hired.
  • Raised staff survey scores on “school leadership supports me” from 52% to 86% favorable.
  • Secured $1.2 million in grants and partnerships for tutoring, technology and after-school programs.

Skills to list

Hard skills

  • Instructional leadership and coaching
  • Teacher evaluation systems
  • School improvement planning
  • Budget and Title I management
  • MTSS and intervention design
  • Master scheduling
  • Special education and 504 compliance
  • Assessment data analysis
  • School safety and crisis planning

Soft skills

  • Building trust with staff and families
  • Hard conversations
  • Calm decision-making
  • Community partnership
  • Developing other leaders

Certifications and licenses worth listing

  • State school administrator license: for example the Instructional Leader License in Tennessee or a principal certification in other states. List the exact name and level.
  • Teaching license: keep it listed; many districts require it for administrators.
  • Superintendent or district leader license: list it if you hold it and are aiming higher.
  • Leadership programs (state principal academies, university fellowships) are worth one line each.

Length and format

Two pages are standard for principals. Keep your current principalship and its results on page one, give assistant principal years three or four bullets, and compress teaching years to one or two lines.

Common mistakes

  • Listing duties (“supervised staff, managed budget”) instead of what changed for students.
  • One-year results with no trend. Panels want to see improvement held over several years.
  • Leaving out teacher retention and hiring, which superintendents rank near the top.
  • Hiding budget size and funding sources. Running a building is running an organization.
  • Too much detail on teaching years and too little on leadership.

Questions and answers

Should a principal’s resume be two pages?

Yes, in most cases. Superintendents expect a full record of leadership roles, results and licenses. Make sure page one tells the whole story on its own.

What results should a principal list?

Growth and proficiency trends, attendance, discipline, graduation or promotion rates, teacher retention and family engagement. Use the measures your state and district report.

Should I list my teaching experience as a principal?

Briefly. The subject and years, plus coaching or department leadership, show where your instructional credibility comes from.

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