Liying “Lily” Zhao

Brass City Charter School (BCCS) is a rigorous, standards-aligned PK-8 public charter school in Waterbury, Connecticut, that pairs high academic expectations with deep social-emotional support. Students at BCCS have consistently outperformed their host district on state assessments. In January 2026, BCCS was named the top school in the state by The 74 for beating the odds in 3rd grade reading.  

Lily Zhao, who will be the founding principal of a new campus, knows BCCS’s strengths, community, and culture from the inside out. She spent more than a decade at BCCS as a classroom teacher, math lead, and ultimately principal, leading the school from 2017 through 2023 and guiding it through a complex accreditation and charter renewal process while supporting its expansion through eighth grade. In fact, Zhao’s own classrooms produced some of BCCS’ strongest results: 100 percent of her first cohort and 92 percent of her second scored proficient or above on the Connecticut state assessment. Most recently, she has served as director of the Early Childhood Center at Central Avenue in Naugatuck, where she coached teachers in play-based instruction that builds critical thinking and problem-solving from the very first years of school. 

Zhao earned her Master of Science in Education in School Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, her Master of Education in Moderate Special Needs (Grades K–8) through the Donovan Urban Teaching Scholars Program at Boston College, and TELL certification. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Elementary Education, also from Boston College. Lastly, she holds a Superintendent Certification Endorsement from the University of Connecticut’s Executive Leadership Program and a CT Director’s Credential at the Master’s level from Charter Oak State College.