Dartmouth High School’s new principal won’t have a long commute ahead of him. Ross Thibault is practically local.

Thibault, a lifelong Swansea resident, graduate of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and former Durfee teacher and vice principal was tapped to become Dartmouth High School’s new principal effective July 1, according to Superintendent Bonny Gifford. He’ll replace outgoing principal John Gould, who announced his resignation in February.

It’s a big move for Thibault, who started his first principalship at Oxford High School in 2014, but one he’s looking forward to.

“Returning to the South Coast is a real homecoming for me,” Thibault said. “I’ve spent my whole life in Swansea, worked in Fall River schools, and went to UMass Dartmouth.”

Education was not Thibault’s first pick for a career. Heading into his first year at Assumption College in Worcester, he wasn’t sure exactly what to study. He entered undeclared, with the thought of studying history and pursuing a law degree. That all changed when he transferred to UMass Dartmouth and took up a football coaching position at Case High School.

“When I was coaching, I really liked working with young people, and I love history so I decided to teach,” Thibault explained.

After graduating with his master’s degree, he took up his first teaching position at Durfee, and took over as a vice principal of the school before moving to Oxford High in 2014.

In just two years, Thibault brought Oxford High from a level three to a level one school on the state's accountability and assistance system, meaning the school is meeting its gap narrowing goals. But that’s not his proudest achievement.

“We worked on improving the culture at Oxford High,” Thibault explained. “Instead of asking what’s best for adults, we focused on what’s best for the kids.”

That meant adding computer science, video production, and robotics programs to the curriculum for the first time, and bringing the number of Advanced Placement classes from four to 13, with two more planned for next year.

“We only have 532 students [at Oxford High]. The fact that we can offer 15 AP classes is a tremendous accomplishment,” Thibault said.

Thibault aims to bring Dartmouth High to a level one status in his tenure, but he plans to use the remainder of the school year and the summer to get to know the school, faculty, and the students and their needs.

“I really think high school should be where every student finds out what they’re going to be passionate about for the rest of their lives,” Thibault said. “What sports did for me, arts might do for other students.”

While Thibault was initially drawn to Dartmouth for his family – commuting to Oxford and back every day meant less time to spend with his wife Kristin and daughters Bella and Sophia – he feels confident his skills and knowledge of the area will serve him and the students of Dartmouth well.

For Gifford, it was a tough decision. Of the roughly 20 applicants, she narrowed it down to just two heading into the final week of screening, but a chat with Oxford Superintendent Mark Garceau left her quite impressed with Thibault's leadership skills, from making tough decisions to establishing and monitoring professional development.