Elysian Charter School of Hoboken, Executive Director

ORGANIZATION

Elysian Charter School, U.S. News and World Report’s top-ranked Elementary School in Hoboken, NJ in 2025, is a small, mission-driven K–8 public charter school serving students and families in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded on progressive education principles, Elysian is known for its deeply rooted sense of community, caring and developmentally responsive learning environments, and a school culture where students, families, and staff feel known, connected, and valued.

Elysian’s model emphasizes educating the whole child – academically, socially, and emotionally – through experiential learning, strong relationships, and a commitment to belonging, kindness, and curiosity. The school’s intentionally small size (16 students per class) allows for close partnerships with families and high levels of trust for educators, fostering creativity, collaboration, and strong morale.

Elysian is committed to maintaining strong academic coherence and rigor – particularly in the middle grades – while preserving its progressive identity and community-centered culture. The Executive Director will play a pivotal role in stewarding existing systems and operations and ensuring students graduate from Elysian well prepared for the academic, social, and executive-functioning demands of high school and beyond.

To learn more about Elysian Charter School of Hoboken, please visit (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..

Elysian Charter School of Hoboken is seeking a values-driven, highly relational, and academically focused Executive Director (ED) to serve as the school’s chief instructional leader and steward its mission and academic vision with consistency and care. Reporting to the Board of Trustees, the Executive Director serves as the school’s chief executive and educational leader, with responsibility for academic program quality, organizational health, financial sustainability, and community trust.

This is an ideal opportunity for a seasoned K–8 school leader who is ready to steward a beloved progressive school, strengthen academic and operational systems, and bring clarity, consistency, and rigor without compromising Elysian’s joyful, child-centered ethos. The Executive Director will have a visible, hands‑on presence in the school community and will be expected to balance strategic leadership with day‑to‑day problem solving in a small‑school environment.

The impact of this role is significant: the Executive Director will help Elysian sustain its identity, support middle school readiness, maintain staffing and systems, and foster trust through transparent leadership ensuring that Elysian continues to operate as a high‑quality public charter school.

• Lead with a clear students‑first philosophy grounded in child development and progressive education.
• Protect and strengthen Elysian’s identity while clarifying what high‑quality progressive education looks like across K–8.
• Ensure that joy, belonging, creativity, and rigor coexist in every classroom.

• Ensure coherent, vertically aligned K–8 curriculum.
• Strengthen middle school rigor and high school readiness, including executive functioning, study skills, time management, and independent learning habits.
• Benchmark student outcomes through partnerships and feedback from destination high schools.
• Expand advanced academic opportunities while maintaining developmentally appropriate practice.
• Partner with school leaders to strengthen Special Education programming by ensuring strong systems, adequate staffing, and consistent IEP implementation—supporting diverse learners while building sustainable team capacity.

• Attract, develop, and retain excellent educators through clear expectations, meaningful feedback cycles, and coaching systems.
• Honor and preserve teacher autonomy while strengthening accountability and instructional consistency in service of student learning.
• Oversee staffing stability, workload, and long‑term retention.

• Lead the development and consistent implementation…