Building principal vs school principal

The differences between building principals and school principals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a building principal and a school principal. Additionally, a school principal has an average salary of $97,138, which is higher than the $96,899 average annual salary of a building principal.

The top three skills for a building principal include student learning, staff development and community agencies. The most important skills for a school principal are professional development, curriculum development, and student achievement.

Building principal vs school principal overview

	Building Principal	School Principal
Yearly salary	$96,899	$97,138
Hourly rate	$46.59	$46.70
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	44,250	60,093
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

Building principal vs school principal salary

Building principals and school principals have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Building Principal	School Principal
Average salary	$96,899	$97,138
Salary range	Between $70,000 And $133,000	Between $71,000 And $131,000
Highest paying City	-	Newark, NJ
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Lexington School and Center for the Deaf
Best paying industry	-	Non Profits

Differences between building principal and school principal education

There are a few differences between a building principal and a school principal in terms of educational background:

	Building Principal	School Principal
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Educational Leadership	Educational Leadership
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Building principal vs school principal demographics

Here are the differences between building principals' and school principals' demographics:

	Building Principal	School Principal
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3%	Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.3% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 4.4% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between building principal and school principal duties and responsibilities

Building principal example responsibilities.

Demonstrate leadership, accountability, and teamwork when managing the budget by empowering staff members to participate in controlling expenditures.
Demonstrate leadership, accountability, and teamwork when managing the budget by empowering staff members to participate in controlling expenditures.
Use BIE indicators for communications and promoting expectations for high-level performance to faculty, staff and students.

School principal example responsibilities.

Lead school in partnership with local high school to promote higher math, science and technology achievement.
Create a PBIS system for teachers on how to manage behavior on a daily basis and reward positive outcomes.
Train volunteers to reach kids for Christ.
Experience with the Scott Foresman mathematics series for second grade.
Interview and hire summer school teaching staff in grades Pre-K through 5thgrade.
Design and implement the district's transition to``all-day kindergarten".

Building principal vs school principal skills

Common building principal skills

Student Learning, 20%
Staff Development, 20%
Community Agencies, 13%
Decision-Making Process, 11%
Instructional Program, 10%
Professional Development, 6%

Common school principal skills

Professional Development, 12%
Curriculum Development, 8%
Student Achievement, 6%
Professional Growth, 5%
Student Learning, 5%
School Administration, 4%

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Building Principal
Building Principal vs School Principal

Updated January 8, 2025

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