4 Principal Resume Examples & Writing Tips for 2024

Principal Resume Template (Text Format)

The chronological resume format is best for principal resumes.

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FIRST AND LAST NAME

Email: your.email@email.com

Phone: (123) 456-7891

Address: Street, City, State

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yourprofile

Resume Summary

Dedicated educator with [number] years of experience. Seeking to leverage my experience in [relevant abilities] to fill the Principal position. Hold a [degree] in [Degree Title]. Skilled at [2–3 relevant skills]. A [adjective #1] and [adjective #2] educational administrator aiming to contribute to the success of [School Name].

Professional Experience

Current Job Title (e.g., Principal)School Name, City, State | Month 20XX–Present

• Include a bulleted list of your achievements as a principal
• Start each bullet point with an action verb (like “administer” or “hire”) to grab attention
• Use the present tense for your current principal role, unless describing a completed project or initiative
• Use hard numbers when possible to quantify your accomplishments as a principal
• Mention how you’ve used some of the teaching and leadership skills listed in your skills section to demonstrate your mastery of these abilities

Previous Job Title (e.g., Vice Principal)School Name, City, State | Month 20XX–Month 20XX

• List relevant accomplishments from your previous role as a vice principal
• Assuming you’re no longer working in this vice principal role, use past tense verbs to describe your work
• Include 3–6 bullet points for each educational administration role, both your current one and previous ones
• Skip the pronoun “I” and begin directly with a verb

Education

Degree Name / MajorUniversity, City, State | Graduation Month, Year

• GPA: 3.X/4.0 (optional)
• Latin honors (if applicable)

Skills & Certifications

• List skills and certifications relevant to the principal job you’re applying for
• Look at the job description for ideas of the skills the employer wants and that are common in the teaching sector
• Emphasize administration-specific hard skills and technical skills in this section
• Be as specific as possible by including names of tools, equipment, and software you’ve mastered that are commonly used by principals

Optional Principal Resume Sections

• Add any other relevant information about your background here
• For example, a separate section could be used to highlight any of the following information: awards, publications, or coursework, as well as languages and volunteer experience

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No matter your experience level or specific principal role, we have resume samples to help you get ideas for your own resume. Simply scroll down to begin.

Assistant principal resume

Assistant principals provide operational support to principals in specific areas like discipline or curriculum planning. Show you’re able to perform these duties with an assistant principal resume like the one below:

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Assistant principal resume highlights

• Educator award: Add any relevant awards to your resume to show that you go above and beyond. For example, this applicant was awarded the “Educator of the Year” award.
• Leadership experience: The applicant mentions how they supervise, monitor, and coach teachers, providing feedback to help them improve. This will show school boards that they’re capable of managing people.

Elementary school principal resume (first-time)

If you’re applying for an elementary school principal position for the first time, you’ll need to craft a compelling narrative on your resume like the following candidate does:

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Elementary school principal resume highlights

• Career progression: School boards want to see that you’re capable of developing over your career. Highlighting your changing job titles is a great way to do this: This candidate started as a teacher, was promoted to department head, became an assistant principal, and is now seeking a principal role.
• Budgeting skills: As an assistant principal, this candidate managed a sizable budget. Since this responsibility is vital for principals, this information shows the candidate has the experience needed to lead a school.

Senior principal resume

If you’ve been a principal at many different schools, your resume should reflect your extensive experience. For example:

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Senior principal resume highlights

• Many years of experience: This candidate has 12 years of experience as a principal (and 20 as an educator). If you also have an impressive amount of experience, add your years of experience to your resume introduction so school boards can see that you have plenty of experience.
• Effective disciplinarian: As a principal in a previous role, this applicant reduced disciplinary incidents by 25%. Because student behavior worries many residents and parents, showing you have a record of reducing bad behavior shows you’re an effective principal.

Average principal salaries in the US

The following table includes information from O*NET Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data is presented based on the top states in the United States.

How to write a principal resume

You’re an experienced educator, but let us teach you how to make that clear on your resume. Scroll down for four tips (with examples) on writing your principal resume.

1. Highlight your principal licenses and certifications

Although you may assume schools will know you’re a licensed principal based on the fact you have prior principal roles on your resume, it’s best to include your principal licenses and certifications on your resume so that your resume isn’t passed over.

Here’s how to list your principal licenses and certifications for the four biggest states in the union:

2. Quantify your successes as a principal

Numbers draw the eye and let schools see what you’re capable of achieving if they appoint you as principal, so quantifying your resume is a key way of selling yourself.

Here are seven things you can quantify on a principal resume:

1. Budget managed
2. Staff/student numbers
3. Improvement in graduation rate
4. Increases in enrollment rates
5. PTA meetings hosted
6. Conferences attended
7. Increases in parent/student satisfaction

Here are some examples of resume bullet points with added numbers to give you an idea of how it’s done:

3. Emphasize you meet the educational requirements of your state

Many states require you to study specific approved programs to serve as a principal.

For example, in North Carolina, you should generally hold a bachelor’s degree in the subject you teach as well as a master’s degree in educational leadership or school administration from an approved institution.

Here’s how you might present that information in your education section:

4. Hook school board members in your summary

Writing a compelling resume summary ensures employers will want to continue reading your resume, so summarize your most salient qualifications, experience, and achievements.

Here are three resume summary examples to give you an idea of what to write:

Resume examples for different industries

Not sure what your resume should look like? The best way to learn is by taking inspiration from resume examples written by other candidates in your industry.

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