# How to become a school principal in DepEd This is the Markdown copy of [How to become a school principal in DepEd](https://nash.com.ph/aspiring-school-heads), published by NASH Reviewer, an independent practice platform not affiliated with DepEd, BHROD, or NEAP. *For aspiring school heads* DepEd plans a principal for every public school by 2028, and every first appointment runs through the school head assessment. This guide maps the road from the position you hold today to School Principal I, drawn from DepEd issuances, the FY 2025 NASH results, and the EDCOM II reports. By [Mark Anthony Llego](https://nash.com.ph/blog/author/mark-anthony-llego) · Published October 12, 2026 · Updated October 30, 2026 - **22,124**: New principal positions planned for 2026 to 2028 - **37.5%**: Of FY 2025 NASH takers met the standards in three or more domains - **SG 19**: Salary grade of School Principal I - **65**: Score needed overall and in at least three domains ## A principal for every public school by 2028 About half of public schools have no principal item. The National Education Plan creates one for every school by 2028, and DepEd is to fill each position on time. - **About half** of public schools, about 23,000 of 45,928, still had no principal item in October 2026. (EDCOM II news release, “EDCOM pushes for 2027 budget to close the gap in school principals nationwide” (18 October 2026), reporting DepEd's figures at the 16 October 2026 Senate hearing) - **89.8%** of schools without a principal are led by Head Teachers or Teachers-in-Charge. (EDCOM II Year Two Report (2025), Figure 10, p. 257) - **100%** of principal positions are to be filled from 2028, up from 94.35% (22,320 of 23,661) in June 2025. (EDCOM II National Education Plan (2026–2035), target 6.1.2.b, p. 94) > “The absence of school principals in nearly half of all schools undermines the fundamental premise of school-based management.” EDCOM II Final Report, Turning Point (2026), p. 390 **School Principal positions, June 2025 to 2028** | Year | Change | Positions | | --- | --- | --- | | June 2025 | Existing | 23,661 | | 2026 | +6,000 allocated | 29,661 | | 2027 | +8,000 target | 37,661 | | 2028 | +8,124 target | 45,785 | Only the 2026 positions are reported as allocated; 2027 and 2028 are plan targets. Each new position needs a first-time principal, and every first appointment requires a pass in the school head assessment. See the charts in [the principal shortage, in numbers](https://nash.com.ph/principal-shortage). ## Where you start Your next step depends on the position you hold today. Head Teachers and Assistant School Principals have a deadline; everyone else has a longer road. ### Teacher I to VII The career lines split when you reach Master Teacher I, at SG 18: there you choose Classroom Teaching or School Administration. In schools with more than 1,000 learners, Teachers VI and VII and Master Teachers I may be designated Assistant School Head, a role DepEd ties to preparing aspiring principals. DepEd-DBM JC No. 01, s. 2025, section 6.2; DO 24, s. 2025 [How the career lines work](https://nash.com.ph/nash#career) ### Master Teacher At Master Teacher I you choose your career line, and you may switch lines once. Master Teacher II and School Principal I share SG 19. Passing the school head assessment opens the move into School Administration. EO 174, s. 2022, sections 3, 4, and 6; DO 24, s. 2025 [The salary grade equivalences](https://nash.com.ph/nash#career) ### Head Teacher or Assistant School Principal You are an on-stream candidate until February 24, 2028, with priority for School Principal I without passing through Master Teacher I, and NEAP is to prioritize your professional development. A position not reclassified or retitled by then is tagged co-terminus with the incumbent. DO 24, s. 2025, items 31, 34, and 37.c [Your transition rules](https://nash.com.ph/nash#transition) ### Teacher-in-Charge or Officer-in-Charge You may already run a school, but a first appointment as School Principal still requires the qualification standards and a pass in the school head assessment. Incumbent Teachers-in-Charge were among the priority takers of the FY 2025 NASH. DO 21, s. 2024, item 27; DepEd Memorandum No. 069, s. 2025 [What the appointment requires](https://nash.com.ph/nash#requirement) ## Two career lines, equal pay at each level EO 174, s. 2022 created a Classroom Teaching line and a School Administration line. School Administration starts at School Principal I, at SG 19, the same grade as Master Teacher II. **Positions and salary grades in both career lines** | Classroom Teaching | Salary grade | School Administration | | --- | --- | --- | | Teacher I to VII | SG 11 to 17 | Base of the system | | Master Teacher I | SG 18 | Lines split | | Master Teacher II | SG 19 | School Principal I | | Master Teacher III | SG 20 | School Principal II | | Master Teacher IV | SG 21 | School Principal III | | Master Teacher V | SG 22 | School Principal IV | PPSSH Career Stage II covers School Principal I and II, Stage III School Principal III, and Stage IV School Principal IV. A promotion cannot skip a career stage or rise more than three salary grades, and salary grade rates change with the law, so each call for applications states the monthly salary. The EDCOM II Final Report notes that Republic Act No. 12288, passed on September 12, 2025, put the career progression system into law. [Read the career rules in the NASH guide](https://nash.com.ph/nash#career). ## Check your readiness for School Principal I Before anyone is ranked, the division office checks every applicant against these requirements. Miss one and you are marked disqualified. - **Education**: Master’s in Education, Educational Management, or Educational Leadership; or a master’s in a relevant learning area with at least 9 units in Management - **Experience**: 5 years of teaching, plus 1 year in learning area coordination, subject area supervision, school management and operations, or instructional supervision - **Training**: 32 hours in curriculum, pedagogy, school management and operations, or instructional leadership, within the last 5 years - **Eligibility**: RA No. 1080, as amended (Teacher) - **Performance**: At least Very Satisfactory in your last rating period, covering one complete period in your current position - **School head assessment**: A Certificate of Rating from the NQESH, the Principal’s Test, or the NASH. In FY 2025, takers who met the PPSSH standards in three or four domains became prospective candidates for School Principal I. Qualification standards from DO 019, s. 2025 (CSC Resolution No. 2500471), the assessment requirement from DO 21, s. 2024, and the performance rating from DO 24, s. 2025. [See the standards for School Principal II to IV](https://nash.com.ph/nash#qualifications). ## What the FY 2025 results mean for you The NASH sorts takers into three competency levels by how many PPSSH domains reach 65. Of 35,156 who completed it, 13,179 met the standards in three or four domains. ### Meeting PPSSH standards in four domains 9,079 takers, 25.8% **Criteria**: A score of 65 or higher in the overall rating and in the specific ratings of at least four domains. **Your next step**: Apply when a position opens. Your result makes you a prospective candidate for School Principal I, subject to the qualification standards and DepEd hiring guidelines. ### Meeting PPSSH standards in three domains 4,100 takers, 11.7% **Criteria**: A score of 65 or higher in the overall rating and in the specific ratings of at least three domains. **Your next step**: Apply on the same terms, then complete a Targeted Development Program facilitated by NEAP within three months of your appointment. ### With Developmental Areas 21,977 takers, 62.5% **Criteria**: A score of 65 or higher in the overall rating but above 65 in the specific ratings of fewer than three domains, or a score below 65 in the overall rating. **Your next step**: Complete Professional Development Interventions facilitated by NEAP and a Work Application Plan certified by your Schools Division Superintendent before you can be considered. In FY 2025, Head Teachers and Assistant School Principals at this level could opt to take Batch 2. Your score keeps counting after the result. When applicants for School Principal I are ranked, the assessment score is worth up to 10 of the 100 points, so a score of 82.5 earns 8.25. Counts combine both batches (DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025 and No. 044, s. 2026). [See the full FY 2025 results](https://nash.com.ph/nash-results). **Find your weakest domains before the next NASH** Ten timed questions show your points and best answers in each PPSSH domain, and name the strands to drill first. [Try a free practice set](https://nash.com.ph/sign-up). ## From assessment to appointment A pass makes you eligible, not appointed. School Principal I positions are filled through reclassification or a natural vacancy, and qualified applicants are ranked. 1. **Answer the call for applications**: Each Schools Division Superintendent issues the call for reclassification by June 30. Natural vacancies are published as they open. 2. **Pass the initial evaluation**: The HRMO checks your qualification standards, your school head assessment result, and your performance rating, then posts who is qualified and who is disqualified. 3. **Be ranked out of 100 points**: A special HRMPSB scores every qualified applicant in an open ranking, from education, training, and experience to performance, accomplishments, and potential. 4. **Wait for a slot in the queue**: The ranked list stays valid until it is exhausted. Applicants not reached this year stay in the queue for the next one. 5. **Receive your appointment**: Once the regional office endorses the list and DBM issues its notice, appointments come out by March 30 of the following year, at step 1 of your new salary grade. **How School Principal applicants are ranked** | Criterion | Points | Based on | | --- | --- | --- | | Education | 10 | Relevant units and degrees above the standard | | Training | 10 | Relevant hours above the standard, after your last promotion and within 5 years | | Experience | 10 | Relevant experience above the standard | | Performance | 25 | Your latest one-year rating, at least Very Satisfactory | | Outstanding accomplishments | 10 | Recognized contributions since your last promotion | | Application of education | 10 | Results at work from your graduate studies | | Application of learning and development | 10 | Results at work from training you attended | | Potential | 15 | Written examination and Behavioral Events Interview | For School Principal I, potential splits into 10 points for the written examination, your assessment score, and 5 for the Behavioral Events Interview. Points are from DO 24, s. 2025, Enclosure No. 3. [Read the reclassification guide](https://nash.com.ph/principal-reclassification) for the documents, rubrics, and worked examples. ## What changes for school heads by 2035 EDCOM II’s National Education Plan names recruiting and developing quality school leaders as one of its top 20 recommendations. These commitments reach the job you are preparing for. ### A principal for every school Every DepEd school is to have its own School Principal item by 2028, 45,785 in all, and every principal position is to be filled on time as it is created. EDCOM II National Education Plan (2026–2035), targets 6.1.2.a and 6.1.2.b, p. 94 ### A Principal Academy at NEAP NEAP is to establish a Principal Academy with professional learning communities for school heads. The plan aims for 33% of principals to meet school-based management competencies by 2028 and all of them by 2035. EDCOM II National Education Plan (2026–2035), targets 6.1.2.c and 6.1.2.d, pp. 94–95 ### Instructional leadership first EDCOM recommends revising principals’ performance commitments to put classroom observation, teacher coaching, and curriculum implementation ahead of the administrative and compliance tasks that dominate the job today. EDCOM II Final Report, Turning Point (2026), p. 300 ### More authority over school funds Only 5.9% of public schools, 2,661 of 45,225, receive their funds directly as implementing units. EDCOM recommends more, with training for school heads in financial management, procurement, and liquidation reporting. EDCOM II Final Report, Turning Point (2026), pp. 370–372 ### More staff beside you Under updated staffing standards, the plan adds 12,078 Administrative Officer II and 44,285 Project Development Officer I positions in schools by 2028, to take administrative work off teachers. EDCOM II National Education Plan (2026–2035), target 2.1.5.a, p. 37 ### Clearer accountability Each school is to get a dashboard of outcomes, equity, and resources, with public disclosure of its budget and spending. The RPMS is to be revised to make clear that principals’ incentives are no longer linked to student promotion. EDCOM II National Education Plan (2026–2035), pp. 36 and 104 These are plan targets and recommendations for 2026 to 2035, not yet DepEd rules. Watch DepEd issuances for how each one is carried out. ## Your preparation plan EDCOM traced the low pass rates of the 2021 and 2023 exams to “a gap in training for aspiring candidates that aligns with the PPSSH.” Close that gap in five steps. 1. **Close your qualification gaps first**: Count your management units, relevant experience, and training hours now. Training counts only if you completed it within the last 5 years. 2. **Study all five PPSSH domains**: Meeting the standards takes 65 or higher overall and in at least three domains, and four to skip the Targeted Development Program. A strong overall score cannot cover a weak domain. 3. **Practice situational items under time**: NASH items are conceptual and situational, and each response is scored 0 to 3. Practice choosing the action that connects policy, people, and context, and drill your weakest strands. 4. **Build evidence for the ranking**: Performance is worth 25 of the 100 points. Outstanding accomplishments, application of education, and application of learning and development are worth 10 each, so keep your awards, research, and results at work documented. 5. **Learn from practicing principals**: DepEd strongly encourages coaching and mentoring sessions with experienced, proficient principals. Ask a principal you respect to review your school improvement work with you. Look up any strand in the [PPSSH guide](https://nash.com.ph/ppssh), find your blind spots with the [Johari Window](https://nash.com.ph/johari-window), and see what a good review covers in the [NASH reviewer guide](https://nash.com.ph/nash-reviewer). ## Common questions Short answers drawn from the issuances. Your division office has the final word on your case. ### Can a teacher become a principal without being a Master Teacher? The career-progression issuances have teachers choose a career line upon reaching Master Teacher I, and a promotion cannot skip a career stage or rise more than three salary grades. Head Teachers and Assistant School Principals in the transition may move to School Principal I without passing through Master Teacher I. For a natural vacancy, ask your division’s HRMO how the rules apply to you. ### How long is a NASH or NQESH result valid? None of the issuances sets an expiry for a passing result. NQESH and Principal’s Test passers remain eligible for first appointment to School Principal positions. Confirm your case with your division’s HRMO. ### Does the size of my school decide which principal level I reach? No. DepEd-DBM Joint Circular No. 01, s. 2025 bases the selection and promotion of school heads on merit, competence, fitness, and equality, not on the number of teachers and learners. Each school gets one principal item whatever its title, and principals may be assigned to any elementary or secondary school in the division. ### What salary grade is a School Principal? School Principal I to IV are SG 19 to 22, equal to Master Teacher II to V. Reclassification to a higher position starts you at step 1 of its salary grade. Salary grade rates change with the law, so each call for applications states the current monthly salary. ### I am a Head Teacher. What happens after February 24, 2028? The transition ends. You are no longer an on-stream candidate, and a position that was not reclassified or retitled is tagged co-terminus with the incumbent (CTI). Ask your division office about reclassification or retitling before the deadline. ### What if my NASH result is With Developmental Areas? Complete the Professional Development Interventions facilitated by NEAP and a Work Application Plan certified by your Schools Division Superintendent. Then you can be considered as a prospective candidate for School Principal I. Your Individual Development Report names the domains to work on. ### Does DepEd endorse any NASH review? No. DepEd is not affiliated with anyone offering paid review classes or claiming access to assessment content, and DepEd personnel who teach review classes need an approved permit. NASH Reviewer is an independent practice platform; its questions are original items written against the PPSSH. *For aspiring school heads* ## Start on the domains that decide your result The NASH counts how many of the five domains reach 65. Timed practice shows where you stand in each, while there is still time to act. **What you practice with** - Timed situational items, two minutes each - Every item tagged to a PPSSH domain, strand, and indicator - Points and best answers in every domain - Your three weakest strands named, with drills for each - **Free**: 34 practice sets - **30-day pass**: ₱1,000 for 30 days - **Lifetime**: ₱3,000 once Practice scores are study aids, not official NASH ratings. [Start practicing free](https://nash.com.ph/sign-up) or [compare plans](https://nash.com.ph/pricing). ## How to cite this page Use APA style (7th edition). The date is the day the page was last updated. Where you use a figure or a rule, also cite the law, issuance, or report the page names for it. Llego, M. A. (2026, October 30). *How to become a school principal in DepEd*. NASH Reviewer. https://nash.com.ph/aspiring-school-heads In-text citation: (Llego, 2026). To cite DepEd orders and memoranda themselves, see [How to Cite DepEd Orders in APA 7 and Write the Abstract](https://nash.com.ph/blog/cite-deped-order-apa-7). ## Sources Everything on this page comes from these DepEd issuances and EDCOM II reports. Check the official text before you act on any rule. - **Executive Order No. 174, s. 2022**: Establishes the Expanded Career Progression System, its two career lines, and the conditions for advancement to School Principal I. - **DepEd-DBM Joint Circular No. 01, s. 2025**: Sets the positions, salary grades, and career progression of teachers and school heads, and bases school head selection on merit. - **DepEd Order No. 24, s. 2025**: Guidelines on the Expanded Career Progression System: the transition for Head Teachers and Assistant School Principals, designations, and reclassification. - **DepEd Order No. 019, s. 2025**: Adopts CSC Resolution No. 2500471, the amended qualification standards for School Principal I to IV. - **DepEd Order No. 21, s. 2024**: Requires the school head assessment for first appointments and sets how its score counts. - **DepEd Order No. 24, s. 2020**: Adopts the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads (PPSSH). - **DepEd Memorandum No. 069, s. 2025**: Administration of the NASH for FY 2025: its purpose, priority takers, and integrity rules. - **DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025 and No. 044, s. 2026**: Results of the FY 2025 NASH, Batches 1 and 2: competency levels, takers at each level, and next steps. - **EDCOM II Year Two Report (2025)**: “Fixing the Foundations”: who leads schools without a principal, and NQESH pass rates. - **EDCOM II Final Report, Turning Point (2026)**: Schools without a principal item, the principal positions allocated for 2026, Republic Act No. 12288, and recommendations on instructional leadership and school funds. - **EDCOM II National Education Plan (2026–2035)**: Targets for principal positions, the Principal Academy, school-based management, and school staffing. For official questions, contact the Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development, Human Resource Development Division, at bhrod.hrdd@deped.gov.ph, or visit the [official DepEd website](https://www.deped.gov.ph/). NASH Reviewer is not affiliated with DepEd, BHROD, or NEAP.