Campbell Hall - High School Principal (Studio City, CA)

About Campbell Hall

Founded in 1944, Campbell Hall is a K-12 independent Episcopal day school serving approximately 1,100 students. Located on 15 sustainably landscaped acres that house state-of-the-art learning environments both indoors and out, each division - Elementary, Middle, and High School – has its own distinct buildings and dedicated space. The peaceful campus and intentionally designed facilities serve as a backdrop for inspiration, exploration, and curiosity. The school fosters a warm, inquiry-driven community where academic excellence is paired with character development and is guided by its mission to nurture “decent, loving, and responsible human beings.” At Campbell Hall, students’ social, emotional, and spiritual growth is intentionally woven into a curriculum that cultivates innovative thinking, collaborative problem-solving, ethical reasoning, and a deep sense of responsibility to others.

Campbell Hall at a Glance

Facts and Figures[SW1]

Founded: 1944

2026-27 Schoolwide Enrollment:

Total (Kindergarten-Grade 12): 1164

Elementary School: 355

Middle School: 244

High School: 565

Self-Identified Students of Color: 49%

Full-Time Employees: 270

Full-Time Faculty: 150

% of Faculty with advanced degrees (master’s degree or above): 64% overall; 72% in High School

Average Tenure of Faculty: 18 years

Location: Studio City, CA

Endowment: $30.8 million

Operating Budget: $63 million

2026-27 Tuition: $48,700-$57,080

Annual Fees: $1,640–$3,670

Financial Assistance: $10.33 million to 22.3% of students

Total Funds Raised, 2025-26: $10.5 million

Annual Giving, 2025-26: $4.1 million

Parent Participation in Annual Giving: 71.3%

Accreditation: Western Association of Schools and Colleges, California Association of Independent Schools; member, National Association of Independent Schools

On the Web:

Campbell Hall’s Strengths

Campbell Hall’s strong community thrives within a culture in which students are known, supported, and encouraged to participate fully in school life. Kindness, empathy, respect, and inclusion shape the student experience and contribute to a clear sense of belonging. The connected K–12 program and longstanding relationships among students, families, faculty, staff, trustees, and alumni provide continuity across divisions and generations.

The school’s faculty combine subject-matter expertise with a clear commitment to student growth. Teachers foster curiosity, recognize individual strengths, and provide guidance that helps students take appropriate risks and develop confidence. A culture of trust and professional learning supports a balanced approach to academic challenge and students’ social, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Across academics, the arts, athletics, service, and experiential learning, Campbell Hall gives students opportunities to explore their interests and develop a sense of purpose. Rigorous inquiry and college preparation are complemented by creativity, collaboration, leadership, and attention to student well-being. The school draws on established traditions and its Episcopal identity, while continuing to evolve its programs and prepare students to contribute thoughtfully to their communities.

Rev. Canon Julian Bull has led Campbell Hall as its Head of School since 2003 and will conclude his tenure in 2028; a national search is underway to find his successor. In June 2026, the Board announced Julian’s retirement, noting that under Julian’s leadership, Campbell Hall has transformed into a “national model for what education can be when academic rigor and conscience, intellect and spirit, are held together rather than treated as competing priorities.” Julian has led the school’s continued growth through programs grounded in research and innovation, expansion of the physical plant with the Spielberg Family Arts and Education Center and the anticipated Holiday Center currently under construction, as well as policies designed to nurture the whole child.

The High School

Campbell Hall’s high school program balances academic challenge with individualized instruction and collaboration. Students are encouraged to explore their interests, think independently, and build confidence, resilience, and ethical courage. The program is built around an inquiry-based approach to learning, giving students the time and space to engage deeply with ideas through discussion, research, collaboration, and hands-on projects. The High School years at Campbell Hall help students become confident learners, engaged citizens, and thoughtful young adults who are well prepared for the opportunities ahead.

Breadth and depth are prioritized within the opportunities afforded to students. From honors and Advanced Placement courses to the Creative Writing program to the school’s distinctive Campbell Hall Advanced Inquiry (CHAI) classes, students are challenged to move beyond content acquisition and develop the habits of curiosity, critical thinking, and intellectual exploration that prepare them for success in college and beyond.

The school also places a strong emphasis on individualized learning, especially in the high school years; seniors have the opportunity to design independent studies around subjects they are passionate about, working closely with faculty mentors to create meaningful, in-depth projects that reflect their unique interests and ambitions.

Learning at Campbell Hall extends well beyond the classroom. Experiential education trips give students the chance to connect academic concepts to real-world experiences while building independence, resilience, and stronger relationships with their peers. These opportunities help students develop both personally and academically, reinforcing a culture of growth and discovery.

Opportunities and Challenges

Campbell Hall’s High School has an opportunity to articulate and communicate its distinctive academic identity to both current and prospective families. The next high school leader will be both proactive and responsive to evolving expectations around rigor, relevance, and student outcomes. Coherence across departments, academic alignment across the 9-12 classroom experience, and preparation for college and beyond will support the goals of defining, communicating, and sustaining high standards while preserving Campbell Hall’s inquiry-driven, student-centered approach that distinguishes the school.

Achieving that balance will also depend on how the school leverages the expectations of its highly engaged community. Clear standards for student behavior, transparent decision-making, and consistent enforcement of policies will be essential to maintaining trust. The next leader will need to balance responsiveness to families with sound professional judgment, ensuring that expectations are understood and applied fairly across the High School.

Meeting these expectations will require a stable leadership structure and a strong foundation of trust, especially in the midst of Campbell Hall’s most ambitious construction project in recent memory. Anticipated transitions, including the arrival of a new Head of School in 2028 and a new Director of College Counseling, create an opening to strengthen communication and clarify roles across the division. The College Counseling leadership shift offers the next Principal the opportunity to deepen a professional partnership with the Director of that office, and to further align the distinctive academic and student life culture of the High School with the existing personalized college process. As department chairs assume more responsibility for teaching faculty oversight, the High School will benefit from well-defined structures for collaboration, feedback, evaluation, and accountability. Faculty are deeply invested in student learning and relationships and will benefit from visible, steady leadership that supports professional growth while setting clear expectations.

Alongside these organizational priorities, Campbell Hall must prepare for changes reshaping education more broadly. The use of AI in the classroom represents one of the many significant challenges to the relational classroom and community culture Campbell Hall faculty believe in. The school will need a thoughtful, clearly communicated approach that addresses academic integrity, responsible use, faculty practice, and student learning. Developing this position in partnership with educators and families will be important to building shared understanding and preparing students to use emerging tools with judgment and purpose.

As the school responds to these academic, organizational, and technological shifts, it must also preserve the relationships, traditions, and sense of belonging that define the student experience. The choice is not between continuity and change; rather, it is to manage each of these with intention, vision, and leadership. Student voice, K-12 curricular alignment and student retention, and sustained focus on community life will help ensure that growth celebrates and preserves Campbell Hall’s culture.

The Position

The High School Principal is the senior leader responsible for the academic, cultural, and operational excellence of its division and engaging and energizing the community of students, faculty, and staff in the High School. Reporting to the Associate Head of School, the High School Principal is responsible for executing the division’s educational and strategic vision, academic oversight, community engagement and communication, and staff and budget management[SW2] .

The Principal leads a team that includes an Assistant Principal, Academic Dean, Department Chairs, Director of College Counseling, Grade Level Deans, High School Faculty, Registrar, High School Office Manager, and High School Administrative Assistant. As a member of the Strategic Planning Group comprised of senior leaders who report to the Head of School, the High School Principal also partners with the Elementary School and Middle School Principals to contribute to the vision for Campbell Hall’s K-12 community[SW3] .

The next High School Principal will carry out the following:

Responsibilities

· Lead the overall High School student experience, setting the tone for a culture rooted in dignity, belonging, and high expectations and ensuring that students feel known, supported, challenged, and valued. Champion traditions, programs, and experiences that build belonging, school spirit, leadership, connection, and student voice, while maintaining a highly visible presence in the life of the division.

· Serve as the division’s primary academic leader, stewarding curricular coherence and the continued evolution of the advanced studies framework while supporting instructional excellence, interdisciplinary learning, and thoughtful academic pathways.

· Oversee core academic systems and processes, including master scheduling, student course selection, grading, narratives, and report cards, in close partnership with the Assistant Principal, Academic Dean, and Registrar.

· Partner closely with student life and wellness leadership to foster a healthy, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate environment while upholding consistent standards for behavior, engagement, and community life.

· Recruit, evaluate, coach, and retain High School faculty and staff, supporting professional growth, reflective practice, continuous improvement, and a strong culture of teaching and learning.

· Build and lead a healthy administrative team, clarifying roles and responsibilities, strengthening collaboration, developing department chairs as instructional leaders and managers, and establishing consistent structures for accountability, supervision, evaluation, and decision-making.

· Communicate and champion the High School’s academic program, vision, values, and outcomes, serving as a compelling storyteller with students, families, faculty, trustees, prospective families, and the wider community.

· Partner strategically and visibly with the Principals of the Elementary and Middle Schools to strengthen K–12 alignment, coordinate priorities, and contribute actively to the broader life and direction of Campbell Hall.

· Manage the High School budget and steward division resources, aligning financial and operational decisions with academic, student life, staffing, and strategic priorities.

· Bring a future-ready mindset to the High School, monitoring educational trends, emerging technologies, and evolving student needs, and assessing their alignment with Campbell Hall’s mission to guide thoughtful, well-paced innovation.

The ideal candidate will draw upon the following to be successful in the role:

Core Experiences and Skills

· A strong high school and administrative leadership background, including responsibility for academic programs, student life, faculty development, and the day-to-day operation of a complex secondary division, with meaningful decision-making authority.

· Deep independent school experience, with a strong understanding of mission-driven governance, community expectations, and the distinctive opportunities and complexities of independent education.

· Experience in affluent and/or large urban-area independent school settings, with the judgment to navigate high expectations, complex stakeholder dynamics, a competitive enrollment environment, affordability, family expectations, enrollment pressures, and the need to demonstrate educational value.

· A well-developed understanding of adolescent development beyond college readiness, including students’ intellectual, social, emotional, ethical, and identity development.

· Multi-division school experience (K-12 or 6-12), with the ability to promote continuity, collaboration, retention, and effective transitions across grade levels and divisions.

· Significant classroom teaching and instructional leadership experience, grounded in a demonstrated understanding of curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, interdisciplinary learning, and effective support for teachers.

· Demonstrated experience supervising and evaluating faculty, and as appropriate, partnering with Human Resources on recruitment, onboarding, coaching, evaluation, professional growth, and personnel matters. This includes experience designing or implementing meaningful evaluation systems that establish clear expectations, provide useful feedback, recognize strong performance, and support continuous improvement.

· A record of effectively partnering with families, students, faculty, and staff and building trust, listening carefully while building shared understanding and sustaining productive relationships by being accessible, reliable, of sound judgment, and exhibiting consistent follow-through.

· Clear, transparent communication and public speaking, with the ability to tailor communication for students, families, faculty, staff, trustees, and the broader community; explain decisions with clarity and consistency; and represent the High School confidently at gatherings, events, and important moments.

· Experience leading through change, disruption, campus construction, or enrollment shifts, with the capacity to maintain stability, communicate clearly, and keep the community focused on students

· Data-informed decision-making, using quantitative and qualitative evidence alongside professional judgment to identify priorities, assess progress, and guide improvement.

· Strong operational follow-through, including the detail orientation, delegation skills, efficiency, and disciplined execution required to translate priorities into timely, sustainable results.

Ideal Characteristics and Core Beliefs

· Student-centered and committed to the whole student experience, consistently grounding decisions in students’ learning, well-being, development, and long-term success, and valuing academics, arts, athletics, service, wellness, and community life as essential and interconnected parts of education.

· Mission-aligned, with a demonstrated commitment to developing decent, loving, and responsible human beings through purposeful leadership and daily practice.

· A connector and collaborator across multiple audiences, able to build productive relationships and shared understanding among students, families, faculty, staff, trustees, and school leaders, while communicating openly, considering varied perspectives, and explaining decisions with clarity, care, and appropriate context.

· Kind and supportive toward faculty, combining empathy and encouragement with clear expectations, candid feedback, and a commitment to professional growth.

· Grounded, approachable, humane, and respected, bringing authenticity, humility, good judgment, and genuine regard for others to everyday interactions and difficult conversations, while projecting confidence and credibility with appropriate gravitas and remaining accessible, collaborative, and responsive to the community.

· Patient, steady, and long-view oriented, maintaining perspective through complexity while advancing priorities with persistence, discipline, and sound judgment; open to thoughtful, incremental change and able to build shared understanding and pace implementation to support durable progress.

· Respectful of traditions while able to imagine new ones, honoring the practices that sustain community while identifying meaningful ways for the school to evolve.

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree or higher, preferred
• Classroom teaching experience, preferably at the high school level
• Effective use of technology
• Experience working collaboratively with a range of constituent groups from diverse backgrounds
• Flexibility and a sense of humor

Key Competencies

Benefits and Compensation

The salary range is $220,000-$240,000 for this 12-month position. Along with four weeks of summer vacation, there is a comprehensive array of quality benefits to support employees' health and wellness.

Application Requirements and Search Process

DRG is conducting this search on behalf of Campbell Hall. Interested candidates should submit materials including the following:

· A cover letter indicating why they are particularly interested in and qualified for the position

· A current resume

· A one- to two-page PDF writing sample of your choice (newsletter, parent or faculty communication, talk, etc.)

· The names, email addresses, and telephone numbers of five references, as well as the relationship of each reference to the candidate (references will be contacted only at the finalist stage and with the candidate’s permission)

Application Status: Accepting Applications and Nominations

Start Date: July 1, 2027

Campbell Hall admits students of any race, color, gender, sexual orientation, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, national, and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletics and other school-administered programs.