de Toledo High School

After a successful career as a practicing attorney, Mark Shpall joined de Toledo High School in 2002, motivated by a passion for helping young people discover their innate magnificence and realize their full potential as both A+ students and A+ human beings. Mark served as a teacher and then dean of students before becoming head of school in 2017.

Mark and his wife are proud alumni parents, having sent their own three children to the school. He describes its educational approach as “the de Toledo Difference” due to its commitment to academic excellence and a deep-rooted culture of kindness where students know they are never alone. Teachers and deans support students, know them and mentor them every step of the high school journey.

“At de Toledo, we have proven to the educational world that it’s not an ‘either-or’ equation,” Mark shares. “Truly great schools don’t have to choose between students’ intellectual advancement and their character development. My message is, and will always be, that we are able to do both. We imbue our students’ minds with knowledge and wisdom—and their souls with ethical values and life purpose—in equal time and equal measure.”

A coed, college preparatory Jewish high school located in West Hills, de Toledo offers an extensive slate of AP and honors courses, dedicated Medical Science and Engineering & Robotics academies, intensive speech and debate/mock trial programs, award-winning theatre and dance, and championship-caliber athletics. The school frequently receives accolades for the close-knit community spirit and sense of belonging it helps foster.