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An LAUSD principal recently named a top school leader uses social media to build enthusiasm for her high school — and a strong spirit is spilling over into excellent academic outcomes, as well as strong enrollment.

Rebecca McMurrin, principal of venerable Ulysses S. Grant High School in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley, takes a creative approach to leading the 2,000-student school, which boasts exceptional graduation rates and climbing admission numbers this year.

McMurrin says what started as a tool to build school spirit by showcasing student achievements has become something more powerful — a secret weapon that’s part of a toolkit to help her school thrive.

“I cannot show you any data to prove it,” said McMurrin, who began at Grant as an assistant principal over a decade ago and became principal in 2019, “ but I believe it’s our Instagram account.”

With more than 3,600 posts and 2,000 followers, McMurrin’s Insta account is an active reflection of campus life that draws an appreciative audience of students and families. Recent posts highlight athletics, academics and staff. 

But McMurrin, who comes from a family of educators and began her career as a teacher, knows that there’s more to a successful school than running a fun social media campaign.  

And leading Grant, a comprehensive high school that first opened in 1959 to serve L.A.’s post-war population boom, would be a worthy challenge for any educator. 

The school has changed over the decades to serve the local population and is currently configured in three programs. 

Grant’s main high school has about 1,400 kids; the College Prep/Digital Arts Magnet (CPDA) has 381 students; and the Humanities Magnet for Interdisciplinary Studies has 200 students. 

In February McMurrin was named Principal of the Year at the Magnet Schools of America conference, for exceptional achievements with Grant’s main school and two magnet programs. 

CPDA, for example, boasts a perfect graduation rate, better than 86% college attendance, 15 sports teams and more than two dozen student clubs.   

The award snagged by McMurrin was part of a record showing for LAUSD schools at the Magnet Schools of America awards.

McMurrin said a rich program such as the one at Grant is the result of a lot of hard work, but reflecting on her recognition, she said the award is humbling more than anything.

McMurrin believes Grant’s success stems from three key efforts: consistently showcasing the school’s offerings to the community (such as with Instagram), understanding student needs, and maintaining constant outreach.

Ongoing, in-person tours of the school are particularly important for growing enrollment, she said. 

“We offer community tours every single month for either current parents or prospective parents, so they can come in and actually see for themselves what’s happening at Grant,” she said. “They get very excited.”

Beyond the school tours boosting enrollment, and the social media campaigns boosting school spirit, McMurrin also credits the efforts of her attendance counselor, who provides supports and services for families experiencing chronic absenteeism. 

“She works with our students who are struggling,” said McMurrin, and “she’s able to provide resources for families.”   

McMurrin speaks like she was born to be a school leader but says she didn’t always see herself as a principal — or even an administrator. 

Her father, sister, niece, and husband all work in education, but McMurrin said the field wasn’t pushed on her. 

“I remember my mom telling us all that, like the cliché things when we were little, like, ‘You can do anything you want. You can be whoever you want,” McMurrin said. Still, “there was never any other position that I ever intended other than being a teacher.” 

After earning her certification and spending some years as a teacher and a mentor, McMurrin pursued a master’s degree in educational leadership — not to become an administrator, but to earn extra salary points.

“My intent was to always remain in the classroom, and then just the way things worked out, I ended up getting promoted and different opportunities presented themselves,” McMurrin said. 

Still, the classroom-level perspective is one she prizes. “I still try to maintain that teacher view — my teacher lens — even though I have the principal lens as well,” McMurrin explained. “I’m trying to make things best for students.”

This article is part of a collaboration between The 74 and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.