How to Become a Principal in Texas

Texas principal requirements, step by step

Principal as Instructional Leader (standard Principal certificate). Each requirement is stated as Texas Education Agency / State Board for Educator Certification publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Earn a master’s degree from a THECB-recognized accredited university

   Hold a master’s degree from a university accredited by an agency recognized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. This academic requirement sits alongside, not instead of, an approved principal educator preparation program.

   Source: tea.texas.gov

2. 2

   Hold a valid classroom teaching certificate

   Maintain a valid Texas classroom teaching certificate. The Principal as Instructional Leader certificate is an additional certification stacked on classroom certification, not a stand-alone first license.

   Source: tea.texas.gov

3. 3

   Complete two years of creditable classroom teaching

   Document two years of creditable teaching experience as a classroom teacher. Service that is not creditable classroom teaching does not satisfy this SBEC requirement.

   Source: tea.texas.gov

4. 4

   Finish an approved principal educator preparation program

   Complete a State Board for Educator Certification-approved principal educator preparation program. Program recommendation is one of the five requirements TEA lists for becoming a principal.

   Source: tea.texas.gov

5. 5

   Pass TExES 268 and the Performance Assessment for School Leaders

   Pass the TExES Principal as Instructional Leader examination (268), which has a published passing score of 240 and a published exam fee of $200, and complete the Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL). Chapter 241 of the Texas Administrative Code governs the Principal certificate.

   Source: tx.nesinc.com

6. 6

   Apply for the standard Principal certificate

   Submit the additional-certification application through the Educator Certification Online System after the program recommendation and required examinations are posted. The Superintendent certificate is a separate SBEC certificate and is not a substitute for Principal as Instructional Leader.

   Source: tea.texas.gov

Texas names the building-level certificate Principal as Instructional Leader, and TEA’s becoming-a-principal page treats it as an additional certification rather than an entry-level license. The five-part list is rigid: a master’s degree from a university accredited by an agency the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recognizes, a valid classroom teaching certificate, two years of creditable teaching as a classroom teacher, completion of an approved principal educator preparation program, and the required examinations. Skipping the creditable-teaching step is the most frequent self-assessment error among counselors, instructional coaches, and district specialists who have spent years in schools but not as classroom teachers of record.

Testing is a two-instrument sequence. The TExES Principal as Instructional Leader examination (268) is the knowledge test; Pearson’s official Texas page publishes a passing score of 240 and an exam fee of $200. Candidates also complete the Performance Assessment for School Leaders. Registering for 268 without scheduling PASL—or treating PASL as optional enrichment—leaves the certificate incomplete even when the multiple-choice score posts. Chapter 241 of Title 19 of the Texas Administrative Code is the rule text that sits behind the TEA landing page, and program faculty typically map coursework to those standards rather than to a generic leadership syllabus.

Superintendent certification is adjacent, not interchangeable. TEA discusses principal and superintendent routes on the same additional-certifications page, which tempts applicants to assume one application covers both. SBEC issues them as separate certificates with distinct preparation and examination requirements. A candidate who wants a high-school principalship needs Principal as Instructional Leader. A superintendent certificate does not replace the principal certificate for campus leadership assignments that SBEC ties to the Principal class.

Application workflow runs through the Educator Certification Online System after the approved EPP posts a recommendation and exam scores are matched to the TEA account. Because the master’s degree, classroom certificate, and two years of creditable teaching are independent of the EPP recommendation, candidates who finish a program before their second creditable year should expect the certificate to wait on experience, not on TEA processing speed. Keep the classroom certificate valid through the additional-certification review; a lapsed teaching certificate blocks the Principal as Instructional Leader issuance even when 268 and PASL are already passed.

Required exams and fees

Texas uses TExES Principal as Instructional Leader (268) / PASL. Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (as of September 2026).

Institutions with educational leadership programs

The table lists educational leadership CIP codes and award levels from IPEDS. This extract reported no completion counts, so none are shown. An award conferred does not mean the program is approved to recommend candidates for Principal as Instructional Leader (standard Principal certificate). Verify approval with Texas Education Agency / State Board for Educator Certification.

Moving an administrator credential to Texas

Confirm out-of-state administrator evaluation rules directly with Texas Education Agency / State Board for Educator Certification. This site does not republish NASDTEC interstate-agreement text.

Texas Education Agency / State Board for Educator Certification