College president vs school principal

The differences between college presidents and school principals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a college president, becoming a school principal takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a college president has an average salary of $188,282, which is higher than the $97,138 average annual salary of a school principal.

The top three skills for a college president include colleges, student services and strategic plan. The most important skills for a school principal are professional development, curriculum development, and student achievement.

College president vs school principal overview

	College President	School Principal
Yearly salary	$188,282	$97,138
Hourly rate	$90.52	$46.70
Growth rate	7%	5%
Number of jobs	30,236	60,093
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	4

College president vs school principal salary

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

	College President	School Principal
Average salary	$188,282	$97,138
Salary range	Between $100,000 And $352,000	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 college president and school principal education

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

	College President	School Principal
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Educational Leadership
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

College president vs school principal demographics

Here are the differences between college presidents' and school principals' demographics:

	College President	School Principal
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6%	Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 4.4% White, 65.3% 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 college president and school principal duties and responsibilities

College president example responsibilities.

Set vision and strategy, oversee project conception, development and implementation and recruit and manage leadership team.
Coordinate extensive community and alumni outreach
Maintain relationships with alumni and donors through daily correspondence.
Key responsibilities include full operational oversight, business development strategy and implementation, and campus compliance with reporting and accreditation requirements.
Safeguard course and syllabus alignment by performing ongoing examination review.

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".

College president vs school principal skills

Common college president skills

Colleges, 28%
Student Services, 21%
Strategic Plan, 7%
Alumni, 5%
Student Body, 5%
Student Life, 4%

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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College President vs School Principal

Updated January 8, 2025

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