The purpose of the current study was to identify the characteristics of Texas public school superintendents who have been in their position for at least 5 years and make that information available to school boards and individuals who seek to obtain the position of Texas school superintendent. The daily challenges of the school district leader may contribute to the great number of superintendents leaving the field within 3.5 years of landing the job. The rate of turnover in the superintendent role has been described as historically high, leading some superintendents to even question the future of the position. In this study, the researcher attempted to provide current and future practitioners, school boards, and researchers a deeper understanding of the characteristics of superintendents who have been able to withstand the challenges associated with the position and remain in their position longer than the average 3.5 years. The research question for this study was, What are the perceived leadership characteristics of Texas school superintendents who have job longevity as defined by 5 or more years? The study was designed as a qualitative study, inquiring information from sitting Texas school superintendents who have been able to remain in their job successfully beyond the state average of 3.5 years. The 7 participants, who participated in a recorded interview, are all current superintendents in the state of Texas, and have served as a superintendent for at least 6 years. The study resulted in the recognition of 3 overarching themes associated with challenges to superintendency longevity. Those themes are (a) challenges and threats to the superintendency, (b) leadership characteristics for superintendent longevity, and (c) other critical practices. These findings were consistent with prior research which indicated that the superintendent position is a very complex job, filled with public scrutiny, politics, and unrealistic expectations. The research revealed that there is a large number of requisite skills necessary and essential for a superintendent. Those requisite skills include knowledge and expertise in building trust and collaborating with the Board, leading and managing complex change, on-boarding, training and developing leaders, relational competence, strategic management and improvement, and political acumen. [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.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]