Director of special services vs elementary school principal

The differences between directors of special services and elementary 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 director of special services and an elementary school principal. Additionally, an elementary school principal has an average salary of $92,372, which is higher than the $81,779 average annual salary of a director of special services.

The top three skills for a director of special services include social work, business development and mental health. The most important skills for an elementary school principal are professional development, student achievement, and school administration.

Director of special services vs elementary school principal overview

	Director Of Special Services	Elementary School Principal
Yearly salary	$81,779	$92,372
Hourly rate	$39.32	$44.41
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	70,868	61,347
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

Director of special services vs elementary school principal salary

Directors of special services and elementary school principals have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Special Services	Elementary School Principal
Average salary	$81,779	$92,372
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $117,000	Between $65,000 And $129,000
Highest paying City	-	Ridgefield, CT
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	Robbinsdale Area Schools
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between director of special services and elementary school principal education

There are a few differences between a director of special services and an elementary school principal in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Special Services	Elementary School Principal
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Educational Leadership
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Director of special services vs elementary school principal demographics

Here are the differences between directors of special services' and elementary school principals' demographics:

	Director Of Special Services	Elementary School Principal
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 41.7% Female, 58.3%	Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between director of special services and elementary school principal duties and responsibilities

Director of special services example responsibilities.

Develop and manage a capital budget of $200K, an operational budget of $100K and 50 FTE's.
Coordinate Medicaid billing for the district.
Direct the administrative and clinical operations of rehabilitation services for a two-campus 325-bed acute-care hospital and hospital-base home health agency.
Maintain and supervise all clinical performance improvement systems for JCAHO accreditation.

Elementary school principal example responsibilities.

Create a PBIS system for teachers on how to manage behavior on a daily basis and reward positive outcomes.
Assist teachers in the Pre-K and pre-school programs.
Establish and maintain relationships with colleges, community organizations, and other schools to coordinate educational services.
Help re-design the 6th grade program to promote smoother transition to jr. high.
Result in international interest in available ESL programs.

Director of special services vs elementary school principal skills

Common director of special services skills

Social Work, 10%
Business Development, 8%
Mental Health, 8%
Securities, 7%
Treasury, 7%
Staff Development, 7%

Common elementary school principal skills

Professional Development, 9%
Student Achievement, 7%
School Administration, 6%
Elementary Schools, 5%
Staff Development, 5%
Professional Growth, 5%

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Director Of Special Services
Director Of Special Services vs Elementary School Principal

Updated January 8, 2025

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