Arbabi will retire at the end of this school year. It is, he told KPCW Tuesday, “just time.”
“I've had an amazing career, and this is a great stopping point as we finish up construction at the high school, and I'm just ready to move on to that next chapter in my life,” he said.
Arbabi got his start in education when he was finishing up a stint in the Peace Corps, a U.S. agency that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. He said the agency was launching a program sending returning volunteers to areas needing teachers.
“I was sent to El Paso, Texas to become a teacher, and I just fell in love with it,” Arbabi said. “I taught for 17 years, and it was a phenomenal career. And then I had a principal that said, ‘Hey, I think you should go and try to be a principal.’”
He then returned to school to receive a master’s in educational leadership. Arbabi has been a principal for 15 years; seven of those in Park City.
During his time leading Park City High School, Arbabi helped students and staff through big changes, including the COVID-19 pandemic and three years of construction. He said his biggest accomplishment at the school was doubling the number of students enrolled in Advanced Placement and Concurrent Enrollment classes, which both provide college credit. AP pass rates also increased.
Arbabi said he’s focused on students throughout his tenure, especially first-generation students, who make up about 20% of the high school. Arbabi was honored with the Principal of the Year Award from the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals in 2024 for this focus. Around 67% of first-generation Park City students now go on to receive two or four-year college degrees.
Arbabi said it’s been a pleasure to work with all the amazing kids in Park City, including attending athletic and fine arts events. He said working with the school’s teachers has also been a highlight.
“Many of our teachers have been here for many, many years, and they just love what it is that they do,” he said. “The best thing that I've been able to do is just get out of their way and let them be their amazing selves.”
Arbabi also had some advice for the next principal.
“Listen to the community, listen to the teachers and do right for the kids,” he said.
Arbabi will officially retire at the end of June.
