Assistant Principal – High School

Manteo High School | Dare County Schools

Manteo High School is seeking an exceptional Assistant Principal to join our leadership team. We are looking for a collaborative, student-centered instructional leader who is ready to be highly visible, build strong relationships, and take meaningful ownership of the work required to help every student succeed.

This is not a position focused solely on discipline or operational management. Our Assistant Principal will be an integral member of the school leadership team and will help shape a positive, consistent, academically focused school culture where students and staff are supported, challenged, and held to high expectations.

What We Are Looking For

The ideal candidate is an instructional leader, relationship builder, problem solver, and team player who understands the complexity of leading a high school.

We are looking for someone who can:

• Build authentic, respectful relationships with students, staff, families, and the community.
• Maintain a highly visible presence throughout the school and actively engage in the daily life of Manteo High School.
• Support high-quality instruction through classroom observations, feedback, coaching, professional learning, and teacher evaluation.
• Use student achievement, attendance, behavior, and other data to identify needs and guide school improvement.
• Support consistent schoolwide expectations while approaching student behavior with accountability, restoration, and an emphasis on helping students make better decisions.
• Lead and support Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), student interventions, and collaborative problem-solving.
• Work effectively with Exceptional Children, multilingual learners, counselors, teachers, and other support personnel to ensure students receive appropriate services and opportunities.
• Understand the unique academic and developmental needs of students in grades 9–12, including graduation requirements, postsecondary planning, career and technical education, advanced coursework, and preparation for college, career, and life.
• Communicate clearly and professionally, including during difficult conversations with students, families, and staff.
• Help develop and implement effective schoolwide systems rather than relying on individual personalities or inconsistent practices.
• Follow through on commitments, attend to details, and take initiative when something needs to be addressed.
• Share leadership responsibilities and contribute ideas while supporting collective decisions once they are made.
• Remain calm, thoughtful, and solution-focused in a fast-paced school environment.

Key Responsibilities

The Assistant Principal will work closely with the principal and leadership team in all areas of school administration, including:

• Instructional leadership and school improvement
• Teacher observation, evaluation, coaching, and professional growth
• Student discipline and restorative practices
• Attendance and student engagement
• School safety and emergency preparedness
• MTSS and student intervention systems
• Exceptional Children and Section 504 support and compliance
• Testing and accountability
• Professional learning and staff development
• Family and community engagement
• Student activities, athletics, and school events
• Daily school operations and supervision
• Implementation of district and school policies and procedures
• Development of a positive, inclusive, and academically focused school culture

Specific responsibilities will be distributed across the administrative team based on school needs and the strengths of the successful candidate.

The Leader We Need

We are especially interested in candidates who understand that effective school leadership requires both high expectations and strong relationships.

Our next Assistant Principal should be comfortable walking into a classroom to support instruction, meeting with a student who needs redirection, coaching a teacher through a difficult situation, talking with a concerned parent, analyzing achievement data, supervising a school event, and helping the administrative team solve an unexpected problem, all while keeping students at the center of the work.

We value leaders who ask good questions, bring possible solutions, accept feedback, and are willing to challenge existing practices when there is a better way to serve students.

Most importantly, we want someone who wants to be part of the Manteo High School community, not simply hold an administrative position.

Our Direction

At Manteo High School, our work centers on preparing students to Own Their Future.

We are building consistent schoolwide systems, strengthening instructional practices, increasing opportunities for students, and developing the competencies reflected in the North Carolina Portrait of a Graduate. We believe students should leave Manteo High School prepared not simply to graduate, but to communicate, collaborate, think critically, demonstrate personal responsibility, and successfully navigate whatever comes next.

The successful candidate will help move this work forward while bringing their own strengths, perspective, and leadership to our team.

Qualifications

Candidates must meet all North Carolina licensure requirements for school administrators and all employment requirements established by Dare County Schools.

Successful experience as a teacher and demonstrated leadership experience are required. Previous administrative experience at the secondary level is preferred but is not required for an exceptional candidate who demonstrates strong leadership capacity and readiness for the role.