Head of School

The head teacher, headmaster,headmistress, head, chancellor or principal (sometimes another title is used) is the teacher with the greatest responsibility for the management of a College or, in the case of the United States and India, an independent school.

In the past, the headmaster or headmistress of a British private school was often the owner of the school or a member of the owning family, and the position often remained in the family for many generations.

In Scotland, the holder of this position is sometimes known as the "rector", most commonly in independent schools. In North America, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Ireland (including Northern Ireland), the position holder is usually known as the "school principal", but some schools, primarily independent schools, use the term "headmaster" or "head master". As in Scotland, the term "rector" is still in use in the United States in independent religious schools, as by tradition the Head of School was also a priest. Some American state schools, such as Boston Latin School, Brooklyn Latin School, and Milpitas High School, also use the term "headmaster", either because of its history or historical connections.

In Britain, the terms "headmaster" and "headmistress" used to be the formal titles in most state schools as well as private schools, with "head teacher" only being used as a term to refer to them collectively. In recent years, however, most state schools have switched to the gender-neutral "head teacher" as the official title. Nevertheless, the gender-specific terms are still in common use, and are still the official titles at some of the remaining state grammar schools and most private schools. Some use other terms, such as "high master". In South Africa, independent schools and, the majority of, state schools use the gender-specific terms "headmaster" and "headmistress" when addressing their head teachers.

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