Principal

Denver, Colorado

About University Prep

Our Mission: Building a foundation of skills, knowledge, and character, University Prep educates every scholar for a four-year college degree and a life of opportunity.

Founded in 2011, University Prep is a network of public charter elementary schools serving scholars from Pre-K through 5th grade across Denver and Commerce City. Today, U Prep operates three elementary campuses, each grounded in the belief that all children—regardless of background—can achieve at the highest levels when adults hold high expectations and deliver excellent instruction.

Fast forward 15 years, and U Prep’s founding scholars are now in their second and third years of postsecondary programming. With more than 90% of U Prep alumni on track for postsecondary success, our scholars represent nearly a 3x difference compared to peers statewide, where fewer than 30% earn a degree or certificate following high school graduation. Our alumni are beating the odds and pursuing their dreams as they enter young adulthood and make choices about their futures.

Learn more at http://uprepschool.org.

Why You’ll Love Us

“We have been a part of the University Prep family from the beginning. Over the past school years, I've been so proud to see my child grow, learn, and get the support that I feel every child should receive.” – U Prep Parent

While you may love University Prep because of the depth of our commitment to our mission and the integrity we carry each day to bring it to life, we believe your initial love will come from the investment we make in our people. Everything starts with our care and commitment to the adults who lead our work. They are the game changers who make everything possible.

Watch this video to hear directly from our alumni and learn more about who we are as an organization and why we exist.

About the Opportunity

The Principal is the instructional, cultural, and organizational leader of a University Prep campus. Principals are entrusted with full ownership of school-wide outcomes—academic achievement, adult culture, scholar experience, and family partnership.

U Prep operates with deep consistency across campuses to ensure that all children and adults experience a school environment that is warm and predictable with consistency and high-expectations. The Principal plays a critical role in bringing this vision to life by developing strong leadership teams, coaching adults, and ensuring scholars meet and exceed expectations aligned to our PREP values: Pride, Responsibility, Enthusiasm, and Perseverance.

This is a highly relational, hands-on leadership role for a mission- and values-driven school leader who believes deeply in academic rigor, character development, and investing in people.

What You’ll Do

Lead the School Vision & Culture

• Embody and execute the mission and vision of a University Prep campus.
• Live by the five core values that guide our work together: Educate Our Scholars, Serve Our Families, Serve the Team, Walk the Walk, and My Child.
• Ensure absolute clarity around expectations for school culture and build/execute systems and procedures that bring that vision to life.
• Take full ownership of annual and long-term goals centered on academic achievement and key leading indicators (attendance, scholar and staff retention, instructional quality).

Instructional Leadership & Academic Outcomes

• Maintain academic rigor as the top priority, ensuring scholars achieve mastery of challenging, grade-level content.
• Oversee instructional quality across classrooms and ensure alignment to standards-aligned curriculum.
• Analyze student achievement, instructional, behavioral, and teacher performance data (quantitative and qualitative) to inform action planning.
• Ensure strong follow-through, monitoring, and support on plans put into action.
• Partner closely with network leadership, including the Chief Academic Officer and Principal Manager, to align academic vision and supports.

Develop Leaders & Adult Culture

• Directly manage, coach, and develop the campus leadership team, including: Deans of Academics. Dean of Operations, Dean of Scholars (Culture)
• Ensure the success of these leaders as they coach and support all staff.
• Invest deeply in people and culture, pushing adults to achieve more than they could or would on their own because you genuinely care about them.
• Collaborate with network leaders and peers to plan and facilitate professional development, including weekly PD, Summer Institute (three weeks), and quarterly Data Days.

Scholar Experience & Family Partnership

• Oversee the overall health of the school, including adult culture, scholar culture, and family relationships.
• Maintain a visible leadership presence during key moments of the school day (arrival, dismissal, transitions, lunch, recess, celebrations).
• Interface directly with families to ensure parents feel deeply connected to both their child’s educator and the school’s leadership.
• Lead and support systems that uplift scholars with special needs and emerging multilingual learners.

School Operations & Routines

• Partner with the Dean of Operations to ensure smooth, effective school-wide systems and routines.
• Manage and support operational and celebratory structures that contribute to a safe, predictable, and joyful environment.
• Ensure alignment between academic, cultural, and operational priorities.

Personal Growth & Development

• Work closely with the Principal Manager to strengthen skills and mindsets aligned to U Prep’s expectations for principals.
• Take personal ownership of growth and development, actively receiving and applying feedback.
• Leverage strengths while pursuing the highest-impact areas for growth.

Why We’ll Love You

• You love children. You are deeply committed to working with young people and are unwavering in your optimism about what they can achieve. Your love shows up as a relentless push for 100%.
• You're mission and values-driven. You are obsessed with maintaining a high expectations school culture in which our core values (PREP) – Pride, Responsibility, Enthusiasm and Perseverance – are ever-present through the words and actions of adults and children.
• You believe academic rigor is THE priority of a school. While you deeply appreciate all aspects of the school day and a school year, you are crazy about students achieving mastery of challenging, grade level content. Great teaching resulting in demonstrable scholar learning is your focus.
• You love working with adults. Your experience has taught you that an investment in people and culture can lead to transformative change in a school building. You push people to achieve more than they could or would on their own because you genuinely care about them.
• You want to be the best. You carry a deep desire to master your craft and take full ownership over your growth and development. You get a little better every day because you are invested in truly becoming the best at what you do.
• You never give up. When things feel impossible, you roll up your sleeves, stay calm and level-headed, and find a way to get to the finish line.

Candidate Profile

Qualifications & Experience

• Full commitment to University Prep’s mission, vision, and core identity.
• Demonstrated success as a teacher in an urban setting (5+ years), as defined by academic achievement.
• 3+ years of success in a school-based leadership role (e.g., Assistant Principal, Principal Resident, Principal), as defined by academic achievement.
• Experience in an elementary school setting preferred; charter school experience strongly valued.
• Deep knowledge of the Common Core State Standards (K–5).
• Experience with cohesive, standards-aligned curricula (e.g., Eureka Math, EL Education, CKLA, Amplify Science).
• Strong organizational, communication (written and verbal), and data-analysis skills.
• A “whatever it takes” mindset and strong work ethic.
• Openness to feedback and a deep desire for continued professional growth.
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.

Our Investment In You

University Prep offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, including:

• Salary: The minimum starting salary for this role is $120,000, with final compensation determined based on experience and qualifications.
• Up to $10,000 in relocation support and/or signing bonus.
• 100% employer-paid medical insurance, with options for dental, vision, critical illness, and accident coverage.
• Up to $600 annually in a personal wellness account.
• Participation in the Colorado PERA retirement system, including a PERA 401(k) option.
• Weekly, personalized coaching and support from a Principal Manager.

Application Process

University Prep has partnered with JoHo Talent Network to support this search. 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. This is a full-time, exempt position.

As an equal opportunity employer, University Prep hires without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.