The most memorable fictional school principals

We kick off our list with the good-natured Gemma Johnson (Beth Behrs). She uprooted her family — do-good husband Dave and young son Grover — from Michigan to move to Los Angeles to take the principal job at the private Wolcott Academy grade school, known for its progressive teachings. Johnson is fair, but can be surprisingly stern and downright nasty when her students, especially her son, are done wrong. And when it comes to comedy, Gemma's hilarity tends to be underappreciated.

The principal of Seabrook High School, Ms. Lee (Naomi Snieckus) appeared in all three Z-O-M-B-I-E-S movies. The catch is that, at least initially, Ms. Lee does not fancy zombies. That is until she allowed Zed (Milo Manheim) to be a member of the football team. Soon, the school's team starts winning, and Ms. Lee has a sense of pride, which then leads to the zombies being allowed to attend classes with their human classmates. Now, this deal sounds a little wrong, but school sports seems to drive everything these days.

Figgins (Iqbal Theba) was a big reason the glee club at McKinley High was revived. This is much to the delight of Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison), and dismay of Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), who goes to great — and sometimes disturbing — lengths to humiliate and blackmail Figgins. Eventually, this leads to him to lose his job (with Sue taking his place), and then be relegated to being the school's janitor. When Figgins was in charge of McKinley, he tried to come off as a respected disciplinarian, but was more of a pushover who's borderline incompetent.

Superbly played by the wondrous queen of the cult classics Mary Woronov in this campy 1979 black comedy that is one giant music video for punk legends the Ramones. Principal Togar runs a tight ship, ruling with an iron fist and essentially allowing no fun of any kind at Vince Lombardi High School. She particularly dislikes rock music, and particularly pseudo-rebellious student Riff Randell (P.J. Soles) and her love of the Ramones. So much so, that she takes away Riff's ticket to the band's concert and threatens to burn vinyl records. Woronov never has trouble digging into her roles, and she really sinks her teeth into the dictatorial tendencies of Principal Togar.

Tim Meadows has actually made quite a nice living playing the role of a principal — see also My Dad the Bounty Hunter (2023) and Schooled (2019-20). However, his finest moment in that type of role came as Mr. Duvall, the desperate-to-be-liked principal at North Shore High School in this 2004 hit. Of course, we come to learn that while Mr. Duvall has good intentions, he essentially harbors no control over his student body — especially the popular clique known as the Plastics (the titular "mean girls"). Now, we did think Duvall looks a little tough in his tank-top undershirt and dress pants, while addressing the girls in the school.

Like many others on this list, Earl Ball (Stephen Tobolowsky) thinks students and staff are listening to his directives, and always on board with his decisions, However, that rarely seems the case. However, the most entertaining part of Principal Ball's existence at William Penn High School is his rivalry with Goldberg matriarch Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey), In fact, it can be argued that it's really Beverly Goldberg who is running things at William Penn, and not Principal Ball, who in the series' spin-off Schooled, becomes superintendent of the school district.

Jim Belushi stars as a principal looking to rehabilitate his professional image, all the while trying to turn around a dangerous, gang-infested, under-par inner-city high school in this likely forgotten, but underrated 1987 thriller. That said, the film's plot is predictable, but Belushi's Latimer learns a lot about himself while trying to become a better principal and help his new students, even though those who initially don't want his help. Of course, he has to go to great lengths and put his life on the line to get the job done.

Not the first time on this list that we will actually highlight a vice principal, but there likely was not a more establishment, administrative type in all of Buchanan High than vice principal Woodman (John Sylvester White). A stern curmudgeon of a man, Woodman was not a fan of Mr. Kotter's "Sweathogs," mainly because he didn't think these remedial students wouldn't amount to anything. Woodman also didn't care much for Kotter when teaching him back in the day. However, as the beloved ABC series from the 1970s and '80s churned on, Woodman softened to Kotter and his lovable misfits.

Sticking with the vice-principal position, one of more obnoxious and unlikable characters from the original 1985 Michael J. Fox comedy hit is ol' Rusty Thorne (Jim McKrell), who appears to oversee disciplinary issues at Beacontown High School. Thorne is also not a fan of Fox's Scott Howard and his "Teen Wolf" alter-ego, which goes back to his time as a student with Scott's father, who also had a wolf-like encounter with Thorne back in the day. In the end, Thorne, once again, must learn his lesson from bothering the Howards.

Easily the most infamous and hated character in Matilda lore, and its various adaptations. Technically, Trunchbull (Pam Ferris) is a headmistress, but she is as hands-on as they come for running a school. She's mean, intimidating, and rules with the sole purpose of breaking the spirits of her students, especially the underprivileged ones. While we don't condone the general methods by which Miss Trunchbull employs when it comes to educating, Ferris' performance is what makes the character truly stand out — for better or worse.

The man who oversees things at Pearl Bailey High School, Principal Lewis (voiced exceptionally well by Kevin Michael Richardson) is one person students do not want to get on their bad side. Brian Lewis is volatile, generally inappropriate and pretty much a loose cannon. He takes part in Vietnam War reenactments, gambles with his students and, according to American Dad! legend, Lewis' family was apparently the basis for the popular NBC sitcom Diff'rent Strokes. When looking up the word "unhinged," Lewis' picture should be close by. Then again, he's so much fun to watch.

We should have known that Principal Rosalie "Roz" Mullins (Joan Cusack) had some edginess buried deep down under that stuffy, by-the-book exterior. As principal of the prestigious Horace Green prep school, she's all about keeping the standards at a high level. However, when Jack Black's Dewey Finn (aka Ned Schneebly), worms his way into a substitute-teaching gig and turns one of the brightest classes in the school into a bunch of rockers, we first see how naive she is from a social standpoint. Then we learn that she's actually dying for a good time. 

Within the confines of this exceptionally witty and popular British teen sitcom are a host of notable supporting characters. Like Sister George Michael, who would make this list for the name alone. BAFTA-winning Irish actress Siobhán McSweeney is brilliant in the role of the headmistress of Our Lady Immaculate College. Sister Michael is more stern, fierce and downright scarier than perhaps any Catholic nun portrayed on television or film. And that's even toward her fellow clergy — especially the priests, who she seems to direct most of her contempt. 

The principal of Lawndale High, Ms. Li (Nora Laudani) was likely the most unlikable character in Daria's universe. She's full of herself, borderline paranoid and poised to rule like a dictator. She rarely put the needs of the actual school and her students ahead of her own needs. She also spent the school's money quite unwisely, such as securing the building like a fortress, complete with an electric fence. And we wonder why protagonist Daria is filled with angst and generally unhappy with just about everything in her life. 

OK, Richard Vernon (Paul Gleason) is technically a vice principal, but his wannabe authoritarian tendencies earn him a spot on this list. And, with threatening lines like "don't mess with the bull, young man, you'll get the horns," how could a measly high school student not be intimidated by Vernon? Well, none of the five students serving a Saturday detention at Shermer High seemed to be. In fact, Vernon proved to be the biggest joke of all, but Gleason played him so well that he remains an iconic John Hughes character.

Ava (brilliantly played by Janelle James) is the incompetent principal at Abbott Elementary. Though her judgement is questionable at times and her educational beliefs might seem questionable, Janine is quite hilarious, perhaps mostly when it comes via her pseudo-rivalry with Janine (Quinta Brunson), the optimistic and determined young teacher at Abbott. Ava's busts on Janine at any chance, but she might also be aware that she is one of the school's best teachers. And, it's teachers like Janine who actually make Ava look good — and even keep her job.

In the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore — whether portrayed by the late Richard Harris, Michael Gambon, or even Jude Law from the Fantastic Beasts prequels — there might not be a more beloved administrator or school leader in the history of fictional entertainment. While Dumbledore's wealth of knowledge is unmeasurable, what was perhaps most impressive about this educator was the passion he displayed for his students. It doesn't matter what their status was, or the level of intelligence — Dumbledore was fair, and generally wanted all his students to succeed. Of course, it was also unwise to cross him.

Feeny certainly made it through the ranks as an educator and instructor. Whether as a grade school teacher, high school principal, or college professor, Feeny (William Daniels) continued to give guidance without hesitation to Cory, Shawn, and even Eric. The life lessons Mr. Feeny taught have gone a long way in shaping his students and viewers. And, when it comes to school administrators, Feeny, perhaps more than anybody else on this list, forged more true friendships with his students. It might have seemed strange at the time, but it proved endearing throughout the course of the series.

Springfield Elementary would be a great school if not for the incompetent people running it. While the physical structure is a joke and the student body is less-than-motivated — unless we are talking about Bart Simpson having a good time — the faculty and staff continue to be the problem. It all starts with principal Seymour Skinner. Though not as apathetic as his teachers, the former Green Beret Skinner (who suffers from occasional flashbacks to his experiences in the Vietnam War) has no control over the school, makes strange decisions, tries to crack the whip, but ends up doing more damage than good.. He's also controlled by his mother and obsessed with notable teacher Edna Krabappel. 

When it comes to the most recognizable teen comedy characters of all time, Richard Belding is a Hall of Famer. The character who defined the acting career of Dennis Haskins, Mr. Belding was just as goofy as the kids who attended Bayside High. His rivalry with Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) was legendary. And, while Belding tried to come off as a stern authority figure, he really did love his students, even if he wasn't all that great of a principal. Like others on this list, Belding was a little too much involved in the lives of his students, but it made for some good, clean comedy.