The Principal’s Guide to Preventing End-of-Year Burnout

You’re in the final stretch. It’s nearing the end of the school year. Just because you can see the light at the end of the tunnel doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. There are a unique set of challenges that come up this time of year—state testing, teacher evaluations, planning for next year, and graduations—that together create a perfect storm of stress. The truth is that a burned-out principal can’t effectively lead their school community, which is why it’s critical that measures are put in place to assess and prevent burnout before it happens. A 2022 RAND study found that 48% of principals reported feeling burnout. While this statistic is general and not specific to a particular time of year, there’s no denying that the last few weeks and months of the school year are an especially trying time.

How, exactly, can you prevent burnout as a principal? It starts by understanding it—and intentionally creating a plan to combat it in a way that adds less work to your plate, not more.  

Understand the effects of end-of-year burnout

‍If you’re especially stressed right now, it might seem like burnout just showed up in your office, uninvited—but it’s important to remember that burnout doesn’t happen overnight. It manifests itself through prolonged and untreated stress—creating emotional exhaustion, detachment from work, and a diminished sense of accomplishment. 

The end of the school year can take these feelings and exacerbate them through compressed timelines, competing priorities, and the emotional weight of closing one chapter while simultaneously preparing for another (which affects us more than we might think!). 

One nice part of burnout is that it gives you plenty of warning signs: difficulty sleeping, irritability with staff or students, finding it tough to make decisions, and even physical symptoms like chronic headaches or fatigue. The not-so-nice part of burnout is that it doesn’t just affect you—it ripples throughout your school community. Teacher morale suffers—at a time where they might be experiencing a fair amount of burnout, too—and students and parents can detect a shift in the school climate, too. 

Prioritize your own self-care

When school leaders take care of themselves, they not only prioritize their own needs, but also set the tone for the environment in which they lead—creating inclusive spaces where everyone feels safe, valued, cared for, and seen. 

Pull Quote: When school leaders take care of themselves, they not only prioritize their own needs, but also set the tone for the environment in which they lead—creating inclusive spaces where everyone feels safe, valued, cared for, and seen. 

We often hear about “self-care” through the lens of actions like getting a massage or eating a pint of ice cream—and while those things can be helpful, true self-care is anything that helps you take care of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of your life. Simple practices like making sure you’re drinking enough water, taking a proper lunch break away from your desk, or getting outside in between meetings can be a great place to start.

However, there are also other acts of self-care that can support school leaders this time of year, such as:

• Continuing to make time for meaningful relationships: Whether it’s connecting in-person or digitally with other educational leaders you admire, do your best to lean into the support systems you’ve cultivated. And, if you feel like you need additional support, consider working one-on-one with a leadership coach for real-time problem-solving and a safe space to 
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• Taking the time to check in with yourself: A foundational step to building resilience—not only to get through the end of the school year but the entire year—is to engage in continuous self-reflection. If you’re new to self-reflection, start by asking yourself a few simple questions: What kind of activities do I engage in to re-energize myself from the challenges of school leadership, and how often do I engage in them? Do I set aside time for myself, and how often does this time get scheduled over? How do I refocus and reframe when I feel discouraged or stressed? 

Giving yourself the time and space for these activities are great forms of self-care, as they help you keep your own needs and wellness at the forefront as you’re leading others. 

Show support to your teachers and staff

If you’re feeling stressed, your teachers and staff are likely experiencing their own end-of-year pressures—and a big way to reduce the collective stress is to continue prioritizing a supportive environment where everyone feels like they’re rowing the boat in the same direction, together.

This starts by having honest conversations with your teachers and staff, right now. Knowing that the end of the school year has built-in stressors that you can’t necessarily control, what are one or two things that would make an immediate difference? Maybe it’s a “Focus Friday” initiative where meetings are minimized and teachers and staff can have uninterrupted work time for grading or planning. Perhaps it's simply prioritizing together what initiatives are priority and what can fall away or wait. 

Another simple way to show support is to amp up teacher and staff recognition. This might mean actions like acknowledging wins during staff meetings or handwritten notes acknowledging specific contributions—but it could also mean addressing more systematic concerns, like creating a better mechanism for feedback. New Leaders alum Brandy Reeves says it best: “Today’s teachers want to be heard. They want to be invited into conversations where you engage them around the work and who they are as a person.” 

One more idea: don’t estimate the power of community during challenging times. Facilitate peer support by working with your teachers and staff to create affinity groups, or find more ways to have them problem-solve effectively. Sometimes simply acknowledging you’re in a tougher-than-usual season—and encouraging your team to lean on each other for support—can boost their morale and yours. 

Leverage systems thinking to do things differently next year

Systems thinking—viewing your school as an interconnected whole rather than isolated parts—is your most powerful ally in burnout prevention. This approach is helpful for a simple reason: you learn that when one area of your school experiences strain, it affects everything else. 

You may not be able to use systems thinking for this year’s end-of-year frenzy, but you can use what you’re learning right now to do things differently for the next school year. Start by conducting a critical review of your end-of-year calendar, identifying the bottlenecks and challenges. Can teacher evaluations be staggered more effectively? Could certain committees be combined to reduce meeting fatigue? Is there paperwork that could be streamlined or eliminated? 

Use summer as an opportunity to reflect

Effective principals know that how you end one year significantly impacts how you'll begin the next. Before the final bell rings, schedule intentional time for reflection. What went well this year? What systems need refinement? Which relationships need attention? This reflection isn't about dwelling on shortcomings but rather harvesting insights that will inform future leadership. If you need help, take a look at our list of 25 summer reflection questions. 

Plan your summer with intention. While administrative duties don't disappear entirely, carving out dedicated periods for both professional growth and personal rejuvenation is crucial. Select reading or professional development opportunities that energize rather than deplete you. Consider connecting with other school leaders for informal discussions that provide both support and fresh perspectives.

Most importantly, give yourself permission to truly disconnect. Research shows that leaders who take genuine breaks return with greater creativity and flow, improved problem-solving abilities, and renewed passion for their work. Whether it's a week-long vacation or just a temporary break from your email and phone, finding ways to step away from school responsibilities creates the mental space needed for renewal.

Taking care of yourself is strategic—not selfish

As the final weeks of school approach, remember that how you lead yourself directly impacts how you lead others. The most resilient principals understand that prioritizing their wellbeing isn't selfish—it's strategic. 

By taking deliberate steps to manage your energy, create supportive spaces for yourself and your team, and learn from this year’s challenges to make next year run more smoothly, you create the internal resources needed to guide your school community through this demanding season and beyond. 

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