- July 17, 2026
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For Dustin Dahlquist, being a leader is about providing support, one-on-one if needed, whether it involves students or staff.
“You have to take people aside and you have to empathize with what it is they are going through,” Dahlquist said. “You also have to encourage them to face some of those difficulties head-on and to not stop. You're going to succeed and you have abilities far beyond what you see at this point.”
After 30 years of shaping students and programs across Manatee County schools, Dahlquist decided to leave his role as principal of Lakewood Ranch High School to become the founding principal of the new Rangeland High School.
Growing up in Lakewood, New York, he said teachers were highly respected and that inspired him to pursue that career path.
“You are not going to be rich being a teacher," Dahlquist said. You're going to be able to enrich your own life, but also the lives of your students. That's ultimately what motivated me to stay within education.”
Dahlquist said his career hasn't always been easy. But he said his failures, and the support from his fellow educators, kept him going.
“We didn't win every single game, and we didn't win championships every year,” Dahlquist said. “Within the process, you make adjustments and you have to have a certain level of confidence in your own abilities. There's always going to be some bumps in the road and there's always going to be some trouble. There's going to be detractors. If you have good reasons and a solid structure, success comes. Sometimes it's not always immediate.”
Dahlquist gave the example of when he became an assistant principal at Palmetto High School, the school was in the bottom 5% academically in the state of Florida with a D rating.
“When we didn't get out of that D status, that was difficult,” Dahlquist said. “We kept on the same path and made some adjustments. Our teachers continued to believe in our students and in what we were doing. It was a collective group effort of everyone in that school community. Now students are getting a great education at Palmetto High School. Some of the programs they have over there are amongst the best in our district.”
Dahlquist described Lakewood Ranch High or “The Ranch” as an “academic powerhouse. Although he loves his job, he is excited for the future of building “The Range” as he called it.
“There's great people here at Lakewood Ranch High School who are going to continue and this place is going to continue to thrive,” Dahlquist said.
As founding principal of Rangeland High School, Dahlquist is focused on establishing identity and foundation rather than replicating any single existing school. He expects many traditions and aspects of school culture to develop organically “from its infancy” as students, teachers and families start to build what the school will become.
Dahlquist said the mission and vision of Rangeland High School is still a work in progress, but he does have a vision on what he hopes the school will be. He wants students to proudly wear Rangeland High School merchandise and be loud and proud about their education.
“I envision a place where students are proud of the school that they go to,” Dahlquist said. “They work hard within their classrooms and their teachers are committed to the teaching and learning activities that are happening in our classrooms, in our extracurricular activities, and out on our playing fields.”
Dahlquist said the biggest misconception about opening a new school is that everything – including class offerings and extracurriculars like sports and clubs – will be set in stone from the first day. He wants to make sure parents and community members know it is a gradual process that will take time, especially because only freshmen and sophomores will attend the school when it opens the fall of 2027.
“We're going to have robust curricular offerings, but those are going to evolve over the course of time to ensure that the needs and the wants of our students are met,” Dahlquist said. “While in the beginning we are going to have XYZ within our curriculum guide, that does not mean that that is all we're going to have or all we're ever going to do.”
Dahlquist said he is looking forward to the “wow factor” that Rangeland High School is sure to possess because Manatee County schools tend to be beautiful. He said there is support for students from the top down throughout the entire district. He is looking forward to helping students be equipped for whatever future endeavors they pursue.
“If you want to go to a top level college or university, you can do that,” Dahlquist said. “If you want to go to a technical school, you're going to be able to do that. If you're wanting to go to the military, or you're an entrepreneur and you want to either go into business for yourself or you want to go into the workforce, you can do that. We are going to be supportive during your high school career to kind of individualize that plan for you so that when you graduate, the next steps are already in place.”
