Kristin B. Kinghorn

John M. Andersen Elementary School
Chandler Unified School District
Chandler, Arizona
kinghorn.kristin@cusd80.com 

In her decade as an administrator, Kristin B. Kinghorn has positioned herself as a visionary leader capable of inspiring greatness in others. At the two Arizona elementary schools where she has served as principal, Kinghorn has embodied this approach with a steady, creative, and collaborative spirit in the face of great challenges and change. As principal of Desert Canyon Elementary, Kinghorn launched programs to address lagging enrollment in the face of competition with nearby charter schools, including a first-of-its-kind dual language Mandarin immersion class. At Andersen Elementary, where she has served since 2018, Kinghorn has led her staff in confronting the challenges of rapid demographic change in the district. Facing declining assessment scores and a widening achievement gap for the school’s majority-ELL and low-income study body, Kinghorn has overseen a shift in Andersen’s professional culture toward constant improvement by cultivating shared language, goals, and strategy through rigorous PLCs and targeted family engagement for students needing additional support. This effort has not only improved academic performance, but it also has helped lay the groundwork for a larger shift in the school’s approach to teaching and learning. After significant exploration led by Kinghorn, Anderson is now a candidate for the International Baccalaureate Primary Years program, and teachers will soon pivot to play a facilitative role in an inquiry-based curriculum. Kinghorn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Science from Western Michigan University and a Master of Education in Leadership from Northern Arizona University.