Founded in 1978, Williamsburg Christian Academy (WCA) is a private, non-denominational, Christ-centered day school serving students from preschool through twelfth grade in the historic Triangle region of Williamsburg, Virginia, and welcoming international students through a homestay program. From its beginnings in the founder's dining room, WCA has grown into a well-established academy on a 56-acre campus, distinguished as one of only two Christian K–12 schools in the United States to offer the full International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum—the Primary Years, Middle Years, and Diploma Programmes—from kindergarten through graduation. The school's mission is to provide holistic and personalized instruction that inspires students to become Christ-centered leaders who serve the global community.
Williamsburg Christian Academy seeks a Head of School to lead the ministry into its next season of growth and excellence. Reporting to the Governing Board, the Head of School serves as the chief executive and spiritual leader of the Academy, responsible for the school's mission and culture, academic program, faculty and staff, enrollment, financial health, and community relationships. The successful candidate will build on a strong foundation of committed families, a distinctive academic model, and a warm, close-knit community as WCA advances toward its vision of sustained institutional excellence.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
Williamsburg Christian Academy is located at 101 School House Lane in upper James City County, on a 56-acre campus anchored by a 65,000-square-foot academic building and surrounded by athletic fields. WCA serves families from preschool (K4) through twelfth grade and welcomes international students through a homestay and guardianship program.
The school is accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). In addition to its standard accreditation through ASCI, WCA is also an IB World School.
WCA is governed by a Board of Directors that operates as a governance board, with responsibility for hiring and supporting the Head of School and for the school's financial stewardship.
Day-to-day leadership rests with the Head of School and a team spanning the Lower School (PYP), Upper School (MYP and DP), admissions, spiritual life, and operations. The Academy employs 43 faculty and staff and operates on an annual budget of approximately $3.1 million. Revenue is derived primarily from tuition and program services (roughly 84 percent), supplemented by fundraising events, charitable contributions, and investment and rental income.
The school's identity rests on its mission, vision, and Seven Guiding Pillars—the character traits WCA seeks to cultivate in every graduate. As a “Kingdom Education” school, WCA integrates a Christian worldview across every subject while welcoming families of all backgrounds: a profession of faith is required of employees but is not a prerequisite for a student to enroll.
HOW WCA ACCOMPLISHES ITS MISSION
WCA pursues its mission through a distinctive combination of academic rigor, spiritual formation, and personalized attention within a small-school community where, as families describe it, every staff member knows every student.
The International Baccalaureate Continuum
WCA is one of only two Christian K–12 schools in the United States to offer the complete IB continuum. The Primary Years Programme (K–5), Middle Years Programme (6–10), and Diploma Programme (11–12) together build inquiry-driven, critical-thinking learners across all thirteen years, culminating in a college-caliber upper school experience that includes independent research and thesis defense.
A Christ-Centered Learning Environment
Faith is woven into daily life rather than compartmentalized, from Lower School praise and worship to Upper School chapels. WCA's flipped-classroom model asks students to engage material independently before class, then reason together—teaching students not merely what to think, but how to learn. Learning Support Services and a personalized approach allow the school to serve gifted learners and students with learning challenges alike.
Community, Athletics, and Student Life
Small class sizes, cross-grade mentorship, thirteen athletic teams across three seasons, and a robust arts and extracurricular program round out the WCA experience. A balanced year-round calendar—shorter summers with regular breaks—reflects the school's intentional, college-preparatory rhythm.
OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES
WCA is a healthy, mission-driven school with an engaged community and a rare academic distinction. The next Head of School will inherit real momentum along with meaningful opportunities to strengthen and mature the institution.
OPPORTUNITIES
Build on a distinctive and respected model. Few schools can offer a fully Christian IB continuum. The incoming leader has the opportunity to bring this maturing program to a new level of depth and recognition, both regionally and nationally.
Lead a warm, committed community. Families choose and stay at WCA for its close relationships, accessible leadership, and Christ-centered culture. The Head of School will lead a faculty and parent body deeply invested in the school's success.
Grow enrollment in a fast-growing region. WCA's campus has capacity well beyond current enrollment, and the surrounding area is projected to be the fastest-growing locality on the Virginia Peninsula through 2040. The next Head of School has a clear runway to grow the student body and extend the school's reach.
Build the advancement function. WCA enjoys a base of committed donors and a track record of successful fundraising events. With the opportunity to establish a more systematic development and donor-cultivation program, the incoming leader can diversify and strengthen the school's revenue base and fuel its next phase of growth.
Advance from stability to excellence. With recent gains in communication, morale, and lower-school academic outcomes, WCA is well positioned for a leader who can consolidate progress and drive the next phase of academic and enrollment growth.
CHALLENGES
Strengthen curriculum infrastructure. As WCA has grown into the IB model, the school has the opportunity to further document and systematize its curriculum so that program continuity is institutional rather than dependent on individual teachers, and so new faculty are well supported from their first day.
Ensure consistency. Families and faculty alike prize strong teaching. As a school that proudly serves the region's military community, WCA sees occasional faculty turnover tied to military relocations. Sustaining excellent, well-supported instruction in pivotal transition grades—through thoughtful hiring, strong onboarding, and faculty retention—will be an ongoing priority for the next leader.
Provide stable, long-tenured leadership. The community deeply desires a Head of School who will make WCA a long-term home—someone who invests in relationships and provides the steady, visible presence that builds enduring confidence and continuity.
POSITION PROFILE
Position: Head of School
Reports to: Governing Board
Direct Reports: Dean of Upper School, Dean of Lower School, Director of Learning Support Services, Chief Operations Officer, Registrar, and Administrative Assistant to the Head of School
Location: Williamsburg, Virginia
Position Summary
The Head of School serves as the chief executive and educational leader of Williamsburg Christian Academy, providing strategic, spiritual, and operational leadership across all aspects of a preschool-through-grade-12 Christian International Baccalaureate program. Reporting to the Governing Board and working in cooperation with the Chief Operations Officer, the Head advances the school's mission, vision, and values while ensuring excellence in academics, student and spiritual development, faculty leadership, financial stewardship, and community engagement. The Head oversees a rigorous IB curriculum within a distinctly Christian worldview—an environment where students are challenged academically, nurtured spiritually, and prepared to become compassionate, globally minded servant leaders—and cultivates strong relationships with students, families, donors, alumni, and the broader Williamsburg community.
The Ideal Candidate
WCA seeks a Christ-centered servant leader who pairs genuine relational warmth with clear, decisive leadership. The ideal candidate builds authentic, trusting relationships across students, families, faculty, and the board—leading with empathy, integrity, and humility—while holding high expectations and a firm commitment to the school's mission. Equally, the Academy needs a capable executive: an operationally and financially astute leader who can steward a growing school, strengthen its systems, and drive enrollment and advancement. In short, WCA is looking for a leader who is both shepherd and steward—present and people-centered, and willing to make hard decisions with wisdom and conviction.
Provide visionary, strategic leadership that unifies faculty, families, and students around WCA's mission and Seven Pillars.
Serve as the spiritual leader of the school, modeling a mature, authentic Christian faith and nurturing WCA's Christ-centered culture.
Oversee the academic program, including the continued maturation of the IB continuum, in partnership with program coordinators and instructional leaders.
Lead, develop, and retain a talented faculty and staff, and strengthen onboarding and professional development.
Steward the school's financial health, operations, and enrollment growth in partnership with the Board and leadership team, including leadership of the school's development and fundraising efforts.
Maintain a highly visible, accessible presence with students, families, and staff—in classrooms, at events, and throughout the community.
Communicate clearly, consistently, and proactively with all constituencies.
Qualifications
A mature, articulate Christian faith and wholehearted agreement with WCA's Statement of Faith and Biblical Beliefs, which all employees affirm.
Proven leadership experience in a school or comparably complex, mission-driven organization; current or prior service as a head of school (ideally at a Christian school) is strongly preferred.
A master's degree in education, leadership, business, or a related field is preferred.
Strong operational, financial, advancement, and communication skills, with the ability to lead diverse constituencies toward a shared vision.
Familiarity with, or genuine openness to, the International Baccalaureate framework.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary: Commensurate with experience.
Performance Incentive: Eligible for an annual bonus tied to student enrollment and faculty retention goals.
Health & welfare: Choice of major medical plans through Optima Health with an employer premium contribution; separate dental and vision plans; employer-paid life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage.
Retirement: 403(b) plan with the option to contribute through payroll deduction.
Paid time off: Paid personal time plus a generous schedule of holidays and school breaks, consistent with the school's balanced calendar.
Tuition benefit: A substantial tuition discount for the children and grandchildren of eligible employees.
Relocation & travel: Relocation assistance available.
ABOUT WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA
Williamsburg sits at the heart of Virginia's Historic Triangle, alongside Jamestown and Yorktown, in one of the most storied regions in the United States. Known worldwide for Colonial Williamsburg, the area pairs deep history with the vitality of a college town, home to the College of William & Mary, the nation's second-oldest university.
The region offers an appealing quality of life: a temperate climate, abundant parks and waterways, a walkable historic district, and easy access to the beaches of the Virginia coast and the amenities of the greater Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Williamsburg sits roughly an hour east of Richmond, an hour west of Virginia Beach, and about two hours southeast of Washington, D.C., making it both a peaceful place to raise a family and well connected to the wider mid-Atlantic. It is regarded as a safe, welcoming community, and a typical three-bedroom home ranges from approximately $425,000 to $525,000.
For a Head of School and their family, Williamsburg offers a community-minded setting in which to live, work, and lead—an ideal backdrop for the kind of long-term investment WCA's community is seeking.
NEXT STEPS
Williamsburg Christian Academy invites prayerful inquiry from candidates who share its mission and are eager to lead a distinctive, Christ-centered school into its next chapter. To learn more about the Academy, visit williamsburgchristian.org.
Interested candidates are encouraged to submit a letter of interest and current résumé. Or you may feel free to share this opportunity with others who may be well-suited to serve. Williamsburg Christian Academy has retained Mission:Leadership to lead this search; all inquiries, nominations, and applications should be directed to Dan Tubbs at daniel@missionleadership.org.
Williamsburg Christian Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, national or ethnic origin, color, age, or disability.