**The Insider's Guide to Writing a Principal Resume**

Student teaching looks amazing in the classroom but can feel impossible to capture on paper. Many aspiring educators struggle to prove their teaching potential when they have limited formal experience.

Are you wondering how to showcase your classroom readiness without years of experience? Your resume needs to highlight your teaching skills, classroom management abilities, and passion for education in ways that principals can't ignore.

Resume Target specializes in helping student teachers translate their practicum experiences into powerful qualifications. We know exactly how to present your student teaching achievements, education coursework, and classroom innovations to land you those crucial first teaching interviews.

What Does a Principal Do?

As the educational leader and chief executive of a school, principals shape the learning environment for hundreds or even thousands of students while managing complex operations that include establishing academic goals, overseeing curriculum standards, and coordinating security procedures that keep everyone safe.

Your role as a principal requires wearing multiple hats - from instructional leader who evaluates teaching quality and student achievement, to community ambassador who builds relationships with families, to operations manager who handles budgets and facility needs - all while maintaining a vision for educational excellence.

Whether you're considering the transition from teaching to administration or already on the path to educational leadership, understanding the career progression and professional development opportunities available to principals can help you make strategic choices about your future in school administration.

Principal Salary Outlook for 2025

Let's talk about what's exciting in the Principal career path! Your earning potential as a Principal can be quite impressive, with opportunities to significantly increase your compensation as you gain experience and expertise. Location, education, and your specific role all play a part in shaping your earning potential in this rewarding leadership position.

Principal Salary Ranges by Experience:

• Entry Level: $114,387
• Mid-Career: $115,012
• Professional: $116,471
• Senior Professional: $118,139
• Executive/Partner: $121,159

Figures from: Salary.com

Career Advancement in Principal

Starting as a teacher, your path to becoming a Principal involves earning advanced degrees and gaining leadership experience. From there, opportunities extend to district-level administration and superintendent roles.

Your Principal Career Timeline

• Entry-level to Junior role: Teacher (3-5 years)
• Mid-level role: Department Head/Lead Teacher (2-3 years)
• Senior role: Assistant Principal (3-5 years)
• Executive role: Principal (5-10 years)
• Top role: District Superintendent (10+ years)

Skills That Fast-Track Your Principal Career

Beyond basic educational expertise, your success as a Principal depends on mastering both leadership and operational competencies that drive school excellence.

- Educational Leadership and Administration - Strategic Planning and Policy Development - Data Analysis and Performance Assessment - Stakeholder Communication and Relationship Building

Getting Started as a Principal

To launch your journey toward becoming a Principal, you'll need to start with teaching experience and a master's degree in education leadership, followed by state licensure and administrative experience.

Entry-Level Roles Leading to Principal

To build your path to principalship, you'll need to develop strong leadership skills to set educational goals and motivate staff, starting with classroom teaching experience and gradually taking on leadership responsibilities.

Essential Education and Certifications for Principals

• Master's Degree in Educational Leadership: A master's degree from an accredited university is the foundation for becoming a principal. This advanced degree typically takes 2-3 years to complete and covers essential leadership, administration, and educational theory.
• State Administrative Services Credential: Each state requires its own administrative credential or certificate. For example, California requires the Preliminary Administrative Services Credential, while New York mandates the Initial School Building Leader Certificate. These typically require completing an approved preparation program and passing state exams.
• School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA): This standardized exam is required in many states to demonstrate competency in school leadership. The test evaluates candidates' knowledge of leadership standards and administrative practices.
• Teaching License and Experience: Most states require 3-5 years of classroom teaching experience and a valid teaching license before pursuing principal certification. This hands-on experience provides crucial understanding of classroom dynamics and educational practices.

Requirements from Research.com

Where are Principal Jobs in the US?

From bustling Texas schools to California classrooms, Principal positions are thriving across public and private education.

Top Spots Hiring Principals

• Texas: Leading the nation with 26,190 employed principals, thanks to rapid population growth and expanding school districts
• California: Home to 21,320 principals, driven by diverse educational needs and a large K-12 system
• New York: Employing 19,850 principals across urban and suburban districts with competitive compensation

Figures from Career Explorer

How to Write a Principal Resume

Struggling to capture your educational leadership journey, student achievement metrics, and administrative accomplishments in a way that truly showcases your potential as a school principal? This comprehensive, section-by-section guide will walk you through creating a compelling principal resume that highlights your educational impact and leadership abilities.

Download This Template

Start with a Principal Powerful Resume Summary

As an educational leader who excels at guiding students and staff to success, you might find it challenging to condense years of impactful leadership into a few compelling lines at the top of your resume.

While you're skilled at crafting school improvement plans and fostering positive learning environments, translating these complex administrative and leadership accomplishments into a concise summary that captures a superintendent's attention requires a strategic approach.

Questions to help write your Principal Resume:

How would you characterize your leadership philosophy and its impact on school culture across your years as an educational leader?

Reason: Your leadership approach sets the tone for your entire resume and helps readers immediately understand your value as a school leader. This high-level perspective demonstrates your understanding of the principal's crucial role in shaping institutional success.

What are the three most significant areas of educational excellence you consistently champion throughout your administrative career?

Reason: This helps you identify and articulate your core professional priorities, whether they're academic achievement, equity, community engagement, or other key areas. These themes should thread throughout your summary to show consistent focus and purpose.

How do you balance the diverse needs of students, staff, parents, and district stakeholders while driving institutional improvement?

Reason: Principals must be master relationship builders and strategic leaders simultaneously. This question helps you articulate your ability to manage complex stakeholder relationships while achieving meaningful educational outcomes.

Resume summary examples

• Strategic and results-driven professional with 15+ years of experience as a Principal. Oversees enterprise architecture development, cloud infrastructure optimization, and digital transformation initiatives across 200+ global projects while streamlining operational efficiency by 40%. Partners with C-suite executives, cross-functional teams, and technology vendors to accelerate business growth and deliver $50M+ in cost savings through innovative solutions.
• Dynamic and visionary professional with 12 years of experience as a Principal. Oversees product development lifecycle, agile methodology implementation, and strategic roadmap execution for Fortune 500 clients while reducing time-to-market by 35%. Partners with stakeholders, development teams, and business analysts to drive technological innovation and achieve 98% client satisfaction rates through transformative leadership.

List Your Key Skills as a Principal

As an educational leader, your skills section needs to demonstrate both your administrative expertise and your ability to create positive learning environments that serve students, staff, and the community.

From high-level competencies like curriculum development and budget management to daily responsibilities like teacher evaluations and student discipline, your skills should reflect your capacity to effectively lead a school while balancing multiple stakeholder needs.

Principal resume skills examples

• Curriculum Development
• Leadership Communication
• Student Information Systems
• Budget Management
• Staff Evaluation
• Policy Implementation
• Cross-functional Team Building

How to Organize Work Experience on a Principal Resume

Showcase your educational leadership journey by organizing your experience into three powerful segments: your administrative role overview, measurable achievements in school improvement, and core leadership responsibilities that demonstrate how you've transformed your learning community.

Highlight Your Impactful Principal Achievements

Many school principals struggle to effectively demonstrate their dual impact on both educational outcomes and operational excellence in their achievement statements. Transform your leadership story by connecting your administrative decisions to measurable improvements in student success rates, teacher retention, and resource optimization that directly enhance school performance.

How to write accomplishments for a Principal resume:

• Quantify Your Achievements: Include specific metrics that demonstrate educational impact. Example: "Increased student achievement scores by 27% over 3 years"or "Reduced disciplinary incidents by 40% through implementation of PBIS framework."
• Add Context: Follow the situation-action-result formula to showcase leadership decisions. Describe the challenge, outline your strategic approach, and highlight measurable outcomes. This method demonstrates problem-solving abilities and leadership impact.
• Start Strong: Begin accomplishment statements with dynamic leadership verbs. Use "Spearheaded district-wide curriculum alignment,""Orchestrated comprehensive school improvement plan,""Championed diversity initiatives,""Transformed school culture,"or "Pioneered innovative STEM programs."
• Use the Right Tense: Write current position accomplishments in present tense and previous positions in past tense. Maintain consistency throughout each role's description to ensure clarity and professionalism.

Examples of accomplishments for a Principal resume

• Led comprehensive school improvement initiative that raised student achievement scores by 27% over 2 years through implementing data-driven instruction methods, enhancing teacher professional development, and establishing clear academic benchmarks across all grade levels
• Developed and executed innovative STEM program partnership with local tech companies that provided $175,000 in equipment/resources and increased student participation in advanced math/science courses by 45%, with 92% of participants continuing to STEM majors in college
• Streamlined administrative processes and reduced operational costs by $120,000 annually through implementing digital systems for attendance, grading, and communication while maintaining 95% parent satisfaction ratings in annual surveys

Highlight Your Responsibilities and Duties on Your Principal Resume

The responsibilities section demonstrates how you lead educational excellence beyond basic administrative tasks. It's crucial to communicate your leadership impact in clear terms that showcase both your educational expertise and management abilities while highlighting how your work drives overall school success and student achievement.

How to write a Principal responsibilities section:

• Keep It Short and Sweet: Each responsibility statement should be concise and impactful, focusing on 2-3 lines maximum. This helps hiring committees quickly grasp your key leadership accomplishments and management approach.
• Stick to the Point: Focus each bullet point on one specific leadership responsibility or initiative. For example, "Implemented data-driven instruction protocols"or "Led professional development programs for 50+ faculty members"shows clear, focused achievements.
• Start Strong: Begin each bullet point with powerful leadership verbs that demonstrate your authority and impact. Use words like "Spearheaded,""Directed,""Orchestrated,""Transformed,"and "Established"to showcase your executive leadership capabilities in driving school improvement.

Examples of Principal responsibilities:

• Academic Leadership: Develop and implement comprehensive curriculum strategies across grade levels to enhance student achievement and meet state educational standards
• Staff Management: Direct recruitment, supervision, and professional development of 50+ teachers and support staff to build high-performing educational teams and maintain teaching excellence
• Community Engagement: Establish partnerships with parents, community organizations, and stakeholders to create supportive learning environments and secure additional resources for school programs
• Operations Oversight: Manage annual school budget of $5M+ while ensuring compliance with district policies, safety protocols, and educational regulations to maintain optimal school operations

List Your Education and Certifications

Your educational background and professional certifications demonstrate your qualifications to lead a school community and drive student achievement. List your most advanced degrees first, followed by your administrative credentials and specialized certifications that showcase your expertise in curriculum development, staff leadership, and educational management.

• Master of Education in Educational Leadership | Stanford University School of Education | 2018
• Administrative Services Credential (ASC) | California Commission on Teacher Credentialing | 2018-2023

Customizing Your Principal Resume for Job Descriptions

Now that you've created a strong foundation using Resume Target's proven resume writing guidelines, you're ready to transform your education leadership credentials into a powerful application tool.

While many school administrators stop at customizing their cover letters, tailoring your principal resume for each specific school district or institution is what truly sets exceptional candidates apart.

Strategic customization ensures your resume successfully navigates ATS systems by incorporating key educational leadership terms, while also demonstrating to hiring committees how your unique experience aligns perfectly with their school's vision, culture, and goals.

Ready to stand out in the competitive education leadership field? Let's transform your principal resume into a compelling story that showcases exactly why you're the ideal leader for their school!

How to customize your Principal resume to fit your target job

• 1. Read the Job Description Carefully: Focus on the responsibilities and qualifications sections where key educational leadership requirements are listed. Look for repeated phrases about instructional leadership, staff development, and student achievement. Pay attention to specific requirements like experience with state standards, budget management, or community engagement, as these vary by district.
• 2. Highlight the Skills in Your Core Competencies: Feature crucial administrative skills in your core competencies section, such as "Instructional Leadership," "Staff Development," "Budget Management," "School Safety," "Community Relations," and "Data-Driven Decision Making." Ensure these align with the district's priorities as stated in the job posting.
• 3. Reflect Skills in Your Responsibilities Section: Use strong action verbs to describe your leadership experience. For example, "Led professional development initiatives for 75+ staff members" or "Implemented research-based curriculum improvements." Mirror the language used in the job description while describing your current or past administrative roles.
• 4. Include Accomplishments that Demonstrate these Skills: Quantify your achievements with specific metrics, such as "Increased student achievement scores by 15% over two years" or "Reduced disciplinary incidents by 40% through implementation of positive behavior intervention system." Focus on improvements in student outcomes, staff retention, and school culture.
• 5. Use Keywords from the Job Description: Incorporate district-specific terminology and educational buzzwords throughout your resume. This ensures your application passes ATS screening and demonstrates your understanding of the district's needs. Include specific programs or initiatives mentioned in the job posting that you have experience with, such as "PBIS," "Professional Learning Communities," or "Standards-Based Grading."

How to Write an Entry-Level Principal Resume

Don't let limited administrative experience hold you back from pursuing your dream leadership role in education!

Your journey from classroom teacher to aspiring principal can shine through by highlighting your teaching expertise, educational leadership coursework, and any committee or department head responsibilities you've managed.

Focus on showcasing your instructional leadership abilities, administrative certifications, and documented improvements in student achievement or school programs.

For more guidance on transitioning from teacher to administrator, check out the Student Resume Writing Guide to help structure your qualifications effectively.

Write a Strong Entry-Level Principal Resume Summary

Your path to educational leadership starts with a compelling summary that showcases your teaching excellence, leadership initiatives, and commitment to student success.

Focus on highlighting your classroom experience, administrative accomplishments, and the positive impact you've made on student outcomes and school culture.

Example of a Principal entry-level resume summary:

"Dedicated and dynamic educational leader with 8+ years of combined teaching and administrative experience in K-12 settings. Demonstrated success in curriculum development, staff mentoring, and implementing data-driven improvement strategies that raised student achievement scores by 25%. Proven track record of fostering positive school culture through collaborative leadership and community engagement initiatives. Seeking to leverage Master's in Educational Leadership and administrative certification to drive academic excellence and institutional growth as a Principal."

Detail Your Principal Education

Now is your chance to showcase the advanced degrees, certifications, and specialized training that have prepared you to be an exceptional educational leader!

Transform your academic journey into compelling content by highlighting your educational leadership coursework, administrative credentials, and impactful capstone projects - like developing a school improvement plan or implementing an innovative curriculum framework.

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Entry level Principal resume education

Relevant Coursework: Educational Leadership | Curriculum Development | School Administration | Educational Law and Ethics | Instructional Supervision | Data-Driven Decision Making

Key Projects:

School Improvement Initiative: Developed and implemented a comprehensive school improvement plan focusing on raising student achievement and enhancing teacher effectiveness through data-driven strategies.

• Analyzed school performance metrics and created a strategic framework that resulted in 15% improvement in standardized test scores
• Designed and launched a teacher mentorship program involving 25 faculty members to enhance instructional quality
• Implemented new assessment protocols and professional development systems aligned with state standards

Teacher Leadership Development Program: Led the design and execution of an innovative professional development program to strengthen instructional leadership capacity among teaching staff.

• Coordinated with district administrators to establish program objectives and success metrics for 50+ educators
• Facilitated collaborative learning communities that enhanced cross-departmental communication and best practice sharing
• Developed evaluation tools and feedback mechanisms resulting in 90% positive participant satisfaction

Customize Your Principal Resume Skills

Transform your educational leadership experience, administrative certifications, and professional development achievements into a compelling skills section that showcases your readiness to lead a school community effectively.

Examples of Entry Level Principal Skills:

• Curriculum Development and Implementation
• Teacher Observation and Evaluation
• School Budget Management
• Student Discipline and Behavior Management

As an aspiring Principal, your combination of educational expertise and leadership capabilities positions you well for advancing into school administration, where the demand for innovative and dedicated educational leaders continues to grow.

Partner with the Experts in Principal Resume Writing

As an education leader, you know the challenge of showcasing both your instructional leadership and administrative impact in a way that truly captures your influence on student success and school culture.

At Resume Target, we specialize in crafting compelling narratives for education administrators that highlight both quantifiable achievements and transformative leadership.

Our expert writers have helped countless principals transform their complex responsibilities into powerful success stories that resonate with district hiring teams.

With school hiring seasons approaching and districts making critical leadership decisions, now is the perfect time to ensure your resume reflects your true potential - let's connect for a free consultation today.