Leadership at California continuation high schools serves one to four percent of high schoolers annually in their districts that have transferred or been transferred to their sites. Students in California are required by law to stay in school until their eighteenth birthday. This research was undertaken to explore how continuation high school principals address current challenges, whether they use transformational leadership modalities in their leadership capacities. In this study, I explored the perception of California continuation high school principals' efficacy of transformational leadership. A phenomenological research design was chosen as a method to explore the detailed descriptions of the phenomena and interpretation of the data. Efficacies of traditional and transformational leadership within the educational field served as the framework for the research. Study participants were current California continuation high school principals with one year or more of leadership responsibilities at respective campuses. Participants were asked to discuss perceptions, experiences, strengths, and challenges as lead administrators. Findings concluded that none learned about these theories while serving as teachers, a prelude to all of the administrative careers among study participants. Few were able to articulate specific jargon associated with transformational leadership. Participants believed that non hierarchal leadership methods were most appropriate based on personal preferences. The lack of transformational leadership exposure did not dissuade principals from adopting transformational leadership practices. Findings from this study may contribute to conversations about ways to expose continuation high school principals to more broad conversations about the utility of transformational leadership theories, models, and practices. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]