How To Write an Assistant Principal Resume
To craft an eye-catching assistant principal resume, you’ll need to highlight the most compelling aspects of your career within the education field. Feature accomplishments that convey your ability to mentor teachers and build positive relationships with students and parents. Emphasize your background in evaluating curriculums and implementing cutting-edge teaching methodologies. This guide provides valuable tips and insights to help you build an accomplishment-driven resume.
1. Write a dynamic profile summarizing your qualifications
Lead your resume with a dynamic summary of qualifications to draw the hiring manager in and entice them to read further. Open with a sentence that lists your title, years of experience, and three to four skills that align with the organization’s needs. Illustrate your unique background as an educator. Demonstrate your ability to build inclusive school communities and facilitate personal and academic growth for your students. Focus on your collaborations with faculty and multi-disciplinary teams to improve the quality of education.
Profile - Example #1
Assistant Principal with a strong teaching background and 6 years of experience leading elementary school operations. Focused on finding creative, practical new ways to improve children’s educational experiences and outcomes.
Profile - Example #2
Adaptable Education Leader & Administrator with 6 years of experience. Focused on inspiring teachers, supporting students, and building a positive middle school community. Committed to ongoing professional development and education.
2. Add an accomplishment-driven professional experience section
Craft an accomplishment-driven professional experience section to differentiate yourself from the competition during your job search. In the past, the assistant principal role focused primarily on discipline. These days the role tends to be more varied — particularly in elementary schools. You’ll likely feature discipline and rule enforcement as a valid part of your resume; also, describe the many other ways you help build a positive school community.
For example, if you implemented new teaching strategies or developed curriculums, highlight an increase in average test scores or GPAs. If you created new extracurricular programs and activities, emphasize the positive impact these programs had on your students.
Professional Experience - Example #1
Assistant Principal, TTO Elementary School, Philadelphia, PA | July 2019 to Present
- Report to and work closely with Principal on all daily school operations
- Collaborate with teachers to develop and maintain an engaging class curriculum
- Mentor and coach teachers on effective teaching and classroom management methods
- Build and maintain open lines of communication with students’ parents and guardians
Professional Experience - Example #2
Assistant Principal, TTN Middle School, Boston, MA | July 2019 to Present
- Report to and work closely with Principal on all daily school operations
- Provide counseling, support, and encouragement to students
- Address and resolve escalated student conflicts and behavioral issues
- Enforce attendance policies and discipline for students who are repeatedly late or absent
- Updated teacher evaluation standards to better align with state and federal performance guidelines
3. Include relevant education and certifications
As an assistant principal, you must prominently feature your education, licenses, and industry certifications on your resume. Most schools require a teaching certification and a master’s degree in education administration. Depending on your state, you may also be required to obtain a school administrator license. Carefully review the requirements listed in the job description to ensure you have the appropriate credentials for an assistant principal role.
Education
Template:
[Degree Name]
[School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] | [Graduation Year]
Example:
Master of Education (M.Ed) Education Administration
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA | 2016
Certifications
Template:
[Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]
Examples:
Principal Certification, State of Pennsylvania | 2018
K-8 Teacher Certification, State of Pennsylvania | 2016
4. List pertinent key skills
Communication and collaboration are key to the role of an assistant principal. You can showcase your strength in these and other areas by including a skills section on your resume. To make an effective and accurate skills section, consult the following list and consider including any terms that apply to your leadership background. Below is a list of potential keywords you may encounter during the job hunt.
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Attendance policy enforcement | Class scheduling |
| Community relations | Daily school operations |
| Instructional leadership | Learning materials improvement |
| Parent relations | Personnel management |
| School and education improvement | Special education |
| Staff hiring | Staff training and development |
| Strategic planning | Student conflict resolution |
| Student counseling and support | Student discipline |
| Student safety | Teacher evaluation |
| Teacher mentoring | Teacher motivation |
User Experience Researcher Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
Years of Experience
- #1
- #2
- #3
Sarah Johnson
123 Carpenter Street, Philadelphia, PA 12345 | (123) 456-7890 | [email protected]
Profile
Assistant Principal with a strong teaching background and 6 years of experience leading elementary school operations. Focused on finding creative, practical new ways to improve children’s educational experiences and outcomes.
Professional Highlights
Assistant Principal, TTO Elementary School, Philadelphia, PA | July 2019 to Present
- Report to and work closely with Principal on all daily school operations
- Collaborate with teachers to develop and maintain an engaging class curriculum
- Mentor and coach teachers on effective teaching and classroom management methods
- Build and maintain open lines of communication with students’ parents and guardians
Vice Principal, AMT Elementary School, Philadelphia, PA | July 2016 to July 2019
- Coordinated training and development programs for both teachers and administrators
- Set policies ensuring student safety and security at all points
- Oversaw school’s special education program
Prior Experience
Four years of experience as a Math Teacher at AMT Elementary School.
Education
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
- Master’s Degree – Education Leadership
- Bachelor’s Degree – Education
Key Skills
- Instructional Leadership
- Parent Relations
- School & Education Improvement
- Special Education
- Staff Training & Development
- Student Safety
- Teacher Mentoring
Selena Ramirez
123 Bridge Street, Boston, MA 12345 | (123) 456-7890 | [email protected]
Profile
Adaptable Education Leader & Administrator with 6 years of experience. Focused on inspiring teachers, supporting students, and building a positive middle school community. Committed to ongoing professional development and education.
Professional Highlights
Assistant Principal, TTN Middle School, Boston, MA | July 2019 to Present
- Report to and work closely with Principal on all daily school operations
- Provide counseling, support, and encouragement to students
- Address and resolve escalated student conflicts and behavioral issues
- Enforce attendance policies and discipline for students who are repeatedly late or absent
- Updated teacher evaluation standards to better align with state and federal performance guidelines
Vice Principal, TFA Middle School, Boston, MA | July 2016 to July 2019
- Oversaw daily operation and maintenance of various school facilities
- Collaborated with other senior administrators to set and execute school’s strategic plan
- Helped determine and modify class schedule as needed
Prior Experience
Strong teaching background, with five years as Chemistry Teacher at Belmont High (Boston, MA).
Education
Boston College, Boston, MA
- Master’s Degree – Education Administration
- Bachelor’s Degree – Education
Key Skills
- Attendance Policy Enforcement
- Class Scheduling
- Daily School Operations
- Strategic Planning
- Student Conflict Resolution
- Student Counseling & Support
- Teacher Evaluation
Yaling Zhang
123 Santa Maria, San Francisco, CA 12345 | (123) 456-7890 | [email protected]
Profile
Assistant Principal with 6 years of experience overseeing high school operations and activities. Decisive and fair in managing the disciplinary response to student behavioral issues. Help raise graduation rates by coaching and inspiring teachers to provide top-quality learning experiences for students.
Professional Highlights
Assistant Principal, Balboa High School, San Francisco, CA | July 2019 to Present
- Report to and work closely with Principal on all daily school operations
- Guide department chairs on various initiatives to improve academic programs
- Foster positive school relations and active engagement with the wider community
- Motivated teachers to provide top-quality learning experiences, helping raise the school’s graduation rate by 14%
Vice Principal, TFF High School, San Francisco, CA | July 2016 to July 2019
- Co-developed and updated staff recruiting and hiring processes to attract high-quality teachers and personnel
- Expanded inventory of learning materials, office supplies, and decorations for schoolwide events
Prior Experience
Seven years teaching English and Social Studies at Balboa High School.
Education
University of California, Berkeley, CA
- Master’s Degree – Education Leadership
- Bachelor’s Degree – Education
Key Skills
- Community Relations
- Learning Materials Improvement
- Personnel Management
- Staff Hiring
- Student Discipline
- Teacher Motivation
Frequently Asked Questions: Assistant Principal Resume Examples and Advice
What are common action verbs for assistant principal resumes?+
It’s easy to get stuck when writing the professional experience section of your resume. You might find yourself running out of action verbs to describe your work. We put together this list of strong resume verbs. As you review the options, remember the best resume verbs will show you creating or changing something for the better rather than simply handling a task.
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Address | Align |
| Build | Coach |
| Develop | Encourage |
| Enforce | Ensure |
| Foster | Guide |
| Improve | Inspire |
| Maintain | Mentor |
| Modify | Motivate |
| Provide | Raise |
| Resolve | Support |
How do you align your resume with an assistant principal job description?+
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for elementary, middle, and high school principals is projected to grow 5% from 2021 to 2031, about as fast as the average for all occupations. However, only a fraction of these will be specifically assistant principal positions, making these jobs even more competitive. To maximize your chances of landing the interview, you must carefully align your resume with the role you’re applying for.
For example, if a school seeks an assistant principal passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), emphasize your background in establishing inclusive school communities and safe student learning environments. If an organization is seeking a candidate with a vast knowledge of teaching methodologies, you might feature your knowledge of differentiated instruction or student-centered learning.
What is the best assistant principal resume format?+
Reverse chronological is the ideal format for assistant principal resumes. This lets you showcase your most recent and relevant education experience while highlighting your career progression. A combination format can also be advantageous, especially if you’re transitioning from a teaching role to an assistant principal position. This approach enables you to feature relevant skills, certifications, or teaching committees above your professional experience.
Expert advice: include a cover letter with your resume
Once you finish your resume, adding a cover letter when sending it to your prospective employer is effective. A cover letter is a great opportunity to speak directly to the hiring manager and explain why you’re the best candidate for the job.
Remember, a cover letter should be fairly succinct. Never exceed more than 400 words — 250 to 300 is ideal. For more information and ideas, view our teacher cover letter examples.
