Department secretary vs school secretary

The differences between department secretaries and school secretaries can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a department secretary and a school secretary. Additionally, a department secretary has an average salary of $35,473, which is higher than the $35,126 average annual salary of a school secretary.

The top three skills for a department secretary include patients, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for a school secretary are word processing, payroll, and math.

Department secretary vs school secretary overview

	Department Secretary	School Secretary
Yearly salary	$35,473	$35,126
Hourly rate	$17.05	$16.89
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	80,303	75,656
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does a department secretary do?

A department secretary is responsible for providing administrative and clerical support to a specific department, ensuring smooth operations to maintain high-quality services to the customers and business partners. Department secretaries should have excellent knowledge of office management principles, especially on data processing procedures and customer service processes. They handle the scheduling of meetings and conferences, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, directing visitors to the appropriate personnel and department, sorting files, and submitting business transactions and financial reports. A department secretary also recommends strategic procedures to generate more revenues and increase the company's profitability.

What does a school secretary do?

A school secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the school's operations and helping the management to develop strategies and techniques to ensure that the students receive the highest quality of learning. School secretaries manage the data management system of the institution, record students' and staff information, and assist with payroll release. They also serve as a liaison between the staff, students, and the management for any inquiries, concerns, and complaints.

Department secretary vs school secretary salary

Department secretaries and school secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Department Secretary	School Secretary
Average salary	$35,473	$35,126
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $47,000	Between $25,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Oakland, CA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Brigham and Women's Hospital	Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between department secretary and school secretary education

There are a few differences between a department secretary and a school secretary in terms of educational background:

	Department Secretary	School Secretary
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Western Carolina University

Department secretary vs school secretary demographics

Here are the differences between department secretaries' and school secretaries' demographics:

	Department Secretary	School Secretary
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 7.0% Female, 93.0%	Male, 5.8% Female, 94.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between department secretary and school secretary duties and responsibilities

Department secretary example responsibilities.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Volunteer for ISO auditor duties to ensure ISO procedures are followed for certification.
Perform payroll functions, including maintaining timekeeping information and processing and submitting payroll.
Prepare materials for monthly board of directors meetings including PowerPoint presentations, agendas and minutes.
Complete all payroll documentation, enter all payroll documentation into computer program, and submit to payroll department.
Create PowerPoint presentations used for business development, organize files and develop spreadsheets, fax reports and scan documents.

School secretary example responsibilities.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Coordinate department payroll, electronic share files, and general office operations.
Compose all correspondence and prepare presentations via PowerPoint.
Create PowerPoint presentations used for teachers professional development.
Perform all secretarial duties including attendance, payroll reports and conference arrangements/billing.
Prepare discharges, enter all updates into OASAS system and review patient information to verify patients eligibility to receive transportation reimbursement.

Department secretary vs school secretary skills

Common department secretary skills

Patients, 22%
Customer Service, 10%
Data Entry, 7%
Medical Terminology, 7%
Patient Care, 4%
Word Processing, 4%

Common school secretary skills

Word Processing, 12%
Payroll, 12%
Math, 7%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Data Entry, 6%
PowerPoint, 6%

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Department Secretary
Department Secretary vs School Secretary

Updated January 8, 2025

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