Head of School (26-27 SY)
Freire Schools
Philadelphia, PA
About Freire Schools
Established in 1999, Freire Schools (www.freireschools.org) is a network of four charter schools across Philadelphia and Delaware whose mission is to prepare students from historically underserved communities for success in college and beyond. We're distinguished by our belief in every student who walks through our doors, our strong code of conduct and commitment to peace that ensures a safe environment for all, our sense of family throughout our community, and our joyous and engaged classrooms that focus on academic achievement. As evidence of our impact, in 2023 Stanford's Center for Research on Education Outcomes ranked Freire Schools in the top 15 in the country for academic gains out of 368 charter networks nationwide.
About the team
For this Head of School position, you'll be working for our high school in center city Philadelphia called Freire Charter High School (9th-12th Grade): One of the first charter schools to open in Pennsylvania, Freire High School was founded in 1999 as the flagship Freire Schools campus. 100% of the Freire High School Class of 2025 were accepted to 63 unique colleges and earned almost $5 million in scholarships and financial aid offers for college. Freire High School's rigorous, creative curriculum and comprehensive academic and emotional supports help our students thrive in high school, in college, and beyond.
Freire Charter High School (9-12): 2027 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
What you'll do
As Head of School, you will serve as the instructional and cultural leader of Freire High School, ensuring safety, academic excellence, strong relationships, and sustainable systems that allow every student and staff member to thrive.
Responsibilities:
- Foster and maintain a safe, joyful, college-prep school culture grounded in peace, high expectations, and belonging for all students.
- Lead academic strategy and teacher/leader development to drive strong instruction and meaningful student achievement results.
- Use data to guide decision-making, monitor school performance, and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Strengthen partnerships with students, families, staff, and the community to ensure shared ownership of Graduation x 2.
Who you are
You're a visionary leader who believes deeply in the brilliance of Black and Brown students and builds systems that help them achieve at the highest levels. You balance big-picture direction with strong day-to-day execution, ensuring excellent instruction and a joyful, safe school culture. We're looking for someone who meets the minimum requirements to be considered for the role. If you meet these requirements, you are encouraged to apply. The preferred qualifications are a bonus, not a requirement.
Minimum requirements
- School leadership experience (e.g., Principal, Assistant Principal, or equivalent) with demonstrated success improving student outcomes.
- Proven ability to coach and develop educators and build a strong school culture grounded in safety and high expectations.
- Master's degree in education, educational leadership, or a related field.
- Eligibility for Pennsylvania Administrative licensure (or ability to obtain prior to start).
- Demonstrated ability to build systems and structures that support consistent instruction, culture, and school operations.
Preferred qualifications
- Prior leadership experience in urban school environments
Pay and benefits
The overall annual salary range for this role is $110,000 - $150,000. We offer a competitive salary based on your experience and qualifications. Our benefits package includes health, dental, vision, and more. Pennsylvania employees are enrolled in Freire's 403(b) retirement plan which includes a 5% contribution from Freire.
Freire Schools is committed to maintaining a workplace environment that is free from all forms of discrimination and discriminatory harassment, in service of the policy goal to provide all persons equal access to all categories of employment regardless of a person's actual or perceived race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and expression), age, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, ethnic background, marital status, pregnancy or related conditions, disability, veteran/military status, or any other category protected by state or federal law.