What does a high school principal do?
A High School Principal oversees and supervises the daily operations of a high school. They are typically in charge of setting goals and objectives, establishing budgets and guidelines, creating schedules, spearheading academic programs, developing strategies to accomplish objectives, and conducting regular workforce assessments, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. It is also their responsibility to address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Moreover, a High School Principal implements policies and regulations to maintain a healthy and safe learning environment for everyone.
High school principal responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real high school principal resumes:
- Facilitate teacher lead PBIS committee to implement effective school wide discipline campaigns and activities for students.
- Create a PBIS system for teachers on how to manage behavior on a daily basis and reward positive outcomes.
- Lead counselor meetings, IEP's, conduct parent/teacher meetings.
- Assist in coordinating, developing, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the IEP.
- Co-Design kindergarten readiness program that will bring in-home and wrap around services to academically at-risk kindergarten students.
- Result in international interest in available ESL programs.
High school principal skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of High School Principals are proficient in Student Achievement, Curriculum Development, and Staff Development. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Decision-making skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of High School Principals that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Student Achievement, 8%
Coordinated student achievement and program assessment and created placement process for incoming junior high students.
- Curriculum Development, 7%
Create schedules, curriculum development, facility logistics and emergency procedures.
- Staff Development, 6%
Analyzed student performance as basis for curriculum improvement and staff development; oversaw and directed faculty.
- Instructional Program, 6%
Observed and supervised all faculty to improve instructional program.
- Professional Growth, 6%
Assisted in developing and monitoring an in-service program which meets the needs for professional growth.
- Student Learning, 6%
Incorporated common school-wide instructional strategies to support optimal student learning.
Common skills that a high school principal uses to do their job include "student achievement," "curriculum development," and "staff development." You can find details on the most important high school principal responsibilities below.
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a high school principal to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what high school principals do because "principals must communicate effectively with students, teachers, and parents." Additionally, a high school principal resume shows how high school principals use communication skills: "enhanced communication systems for collaborative efforts in the betterment of student learning. "
Decision-making skills. Another essential skill to perform high school principal duties is decision-making skills. High school principals responsibilities require that "because principals are responsible for students, staff, and the overall operation of the school, they consider many factors when making decisions." High school principals also use decision-making skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "evaluated instructional staff utilizing danielson model; ensuring that data is utilized to drive decisions for optimal student performance. "
Interpersonal skills. high school principals are also known for interpersonal skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to high school principal responsibilities, because "principals work with teachers, parents, and superintendents and must develop positive working relationships with them." A high school principal resume example shows how interpersonal skills is used in the workplace: "counseled students in improving academic performance, health and interpersonal relations. "
Leadership skills. For certain high school principal responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "leadership skills." The day-to-day duties of a high school principal rely on this skill, as "principals set educational goals and establish policies and procedures for the school." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what high school principals do: "expanded and enhanced school-based leadership teams providing conceptual foundations in leadership through professional development and engagement in professional learning communities. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for high school principal responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of high school principals all the time, as "teachers, students, and other staff report problems to the principal." An excerpt from a real high school principal resume shows how this skill is central to what a high school principal does: "participated in the school leadership team to develop, recommend, and implement school policies, procedures, and problem-solving approaches. "
The three companies that hire the most high school principals are:
- McDonald's18 high school principals jobs
- The SOS Group
17 high school principals jobs
- K123 high school principals jobs
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Compare different high school principals
High school principal vs. Curriculum director
Superintendents oversee the administration of schools in a specific school district. They manage the educational programs of each school and create strategic decisions to ensure that the students are learning important subjects. They also supervise school administrators or principals and are responsible for hiring and guiding them. Superintendents should be familiar with their constituents and must always be ready to listen to their needs. It is important that superintendents are good decision-makers and communicators. They are expected to lead their respective districts in achieving their vision. Superintendents drive the team towards their goals and create strategic steps to ensure success.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between high school principals and curriculum director. For instance, high school principal responsibilities require skills such as "professional development," "school administration," "learning environment," and "board policies." Whereas a curriculum director is skilled in "professional development workshops," "child care," "language arts," and "classroom observations." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Curriculum directors earn the highest salaries when working in the non profits industry, with an average yearly salary of $63,521. On the other hand, high school principals are paid more in the education industry with an average salary of $85,046.curriculum directors tend to reach lower levels of education than high school principals. In fact, curriculum directors are 6.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.5% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.High school principal vs. Superintendent
Each career also uses different skills, according to real high school principal resumes. While high school principal responsibilities can utilize skills like "student achievement," "curriculum development," "staff development," and "instructional program," superintendents use skills like "osha," "quality standards," "construction management," and "logistics."
On average, superintendents earn a lower salary than high school principals. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, superintendents earn the most pay in the construction industry with an average salary of $85,679. Whereas high school principals have higher pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $85,046.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Superintendents tend to reach lower levels of education than high school principals. In fact, they're 27.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for high school principals in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Albert Boerema Ph.D.
Professor, Calvin University
I have watched them be advised to become proficient, even expert, at particular technological innovation. What has been interesting about that is the specific innovation recommendations change over the years. It has become clear to me that there is no technical fix to the challenge of education. It is just challenging work. Digital technology can make some aspects of it more comfortable. It can make it possible to continue our work, as we have discovered during the covid situation, but helping children grow and develop will always be hard work.
High school principal vs. Special education administrator
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, high school principals are more likely to have skills like "student achievement," "curriculum development," "instructional program," and "professional growth." But a special education administrator is more likely to have skills like "education programs," "event logistics," "technical assistance," and "customer inquiries."
Special education administrators typically earn lower educational levels compared to high school principals. Specifically, they're 15.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.High school principal vs. Director of physical education
Even though a few skill sets overlap between high school principals and directors of physical education, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a high school principal might have more use for skills like "student achievement," "staff development," "instructional program," and "professional growth." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of directors of physical education require skills like "physical education curriculum," "student athletes," "physical education," and "volleyball. "
The average resume of directors of physical education showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to high school principals. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 13.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 3.1%.Types of high school principal
Updated January 8, 2025
