David Loutzenheiser

Mr. David Loutzenheiser began his tenure as Superintendent of Higley Unified School District on July 1, 2025.

Mr. Loutzenheiser is a native Arizonan, graduating as the valedictorian from Apache Junction High School in 1992. He played collegiate basketball at Mesa Community College and Colorado School of Mines prior to finishing his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics degree at Northern Arizona University. He additionally has earned a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Arizona State University and both Principal and Superintendent Certificates from Northern Arizona University.

Mr. Loutzenheiser began his teaching career as a math teacher and basketball coach at Gilbert High School. After nine years in GPS, he transitioned to the Chandler Unified School District where he held various positions including four years as Assistant Principal of San Tan Junior High School followed by two years as Assistant Principal of Curriculum and then five years as Principal of Basha High School. Under his leadership, Basha was consistently recognized as an “A-rated” school by the Arizona Department of Education, an A+ School of Excellence, a Project Lead The Way School of Distinction, and a Civic Engagement School of Excellence. He oversaw the growth and development of the Accelerated Middle School at Basha and spearheaded the Institute of Cyber Operations and Networking program.

In the summer of 2020, Mr. Loutzenheiser was hired as the Executive Director of Secondary Education and Athletics in the Higley Unified School District, the role he currently holds. He is responsible for two high schools, two middle schools, the Higley Virtual Academy, and all secondary athletics. In addition, he oversees the PreK-12 Educational Services, Assessment and Student Information, Information Technology, Foreign Exchange, and Career and Technical Education departments. As a member of the HUSD Leadership Team, Mr. Loutzenheiser has helped develop the core values and strategic plan, update the Portrait of a Graduate, and launched the #higleyhelps initiative. He is an active member of the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s District Athletic Director team and has served as a 6A football region representative.

Mr. Loutzenheiser has served his community as a member of the Chandler Horizon Rotary Club and the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce Gilbert Leadership program Class 32. Mr. Loutzenheiser is a proud supporter of public education and strives to provide limitless opportunities for student success. He is very proud of the achievements by the students of Higley schools and looks forward to continuing this tradition of excellence.

On the personal side, Mr. Loutzenheiser is the son of two educators as his mother, Kaye, was an elementary teacher and his father, Gary, was a long-time east valley administrator. He has been married to his wife, Sara, for over 26 years and they are blessed to have three children: Thomas (21), Abigail (19) and Ethan (13). Mr. Loutzenheiser is an avid University of Arizona Wildcat basketball fan, and he enjoys attending games with his father and daughter.