Alexandria City Public Schools wants the new principal of the city’s only high school to make it “the premier high school in the region,” according to a leadership profile shared last Friday (March 27) following a community survey.
After nearly an entire school year with an interim principal, ACPS posted a job listing for a “dynamic, visionary leader” to lead Alexandria City High School — Virginia’s largest public high school, with more than 4,500 students and hundreds of employees across four campuses: King Street, Minnie Howard, Satellite and Chance for Change.
The leadership profile lays out a roadmap for the principal’s success. In the first year, ACPS is seeking academic gains for English learners and special education students, a significant reduction in staff turnover and a smoother experience for students traveling between campuses.
By the third to fifth years, the principal’s success would be defined as positioning ACHS to compete with private schools and neighboring school districts. Measures of success would include significantly lower achievement gaps for English learner and special education students, minimal staff turnover and a unified four-campus system.
The school system is looking for a leader with a master’s degree in educational leadership, with a valid Virginia Department of Education teaching post graduate license with a minimum of five years experience as a principal or lead administrator. Candidates will also undergo a criminal justice fingerprint/background clearance and get a tuberculosis skin test.
The salary range for the position is $120,672 to $180,518, according to the job listing.
Lance Harrell was named acting executive principal at ACHS in August, succeeding Alexander Duncan III, who left June 30 after two years to become principal at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington. Harrell was previously the lead administrator of operations and student support at the ACHS Minnie Howard Campus for two years, and it is not yet known whether he is seeking the permanent post.
Upon announcing the principal search, Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt said the high school principal and campus administrator positions would be restructured. The executive principal role will be renamed principal and will no longer carry central office duties, allowing the position to focus solely on leading the high school’s four campuses. The four campus administrators will also be renamed campus principals.
ACPS laid out the following timeline for the principal search:
- March 16, 2026 – Job description posted
- March 18, 2026 – Stakeholder survey opens
- March 23, 2026 – Survey closes
- March 27, 2026 – Leadership profile posted
- April 2026 – Application review; First and Second Round Interviews
- May 2026 – Virtual Community Meet and Greet Sessions, Superintendent Interview
- May 28, 2026 – School Board meeting: Final Candidate Approval
- July 1, 2026 – Start Date
