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The differences between instructional aides and school aides can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an instructional aide has an average salary of $30,993, which is higher than the $29,896 average annual salary of a school aide.
The top three skills for an instructional aide include work ethic, CPR and math. The most important skills for a school aide are CPR, role model, and direct supervision.
| Instructional Aide | School Aide | |
| Yearly salary | $30,993 | $29,896 |
| Hourly rate | $14.90 | $14.37 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 60,846 | 69,231 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An instructional aide focuses on performing support-related tasks for a teacher or faculty member. They are primarily responsible for helping teachers maintain a safe and healthy learning environment, recording attendance, creating visual aids or presentations, participating in the preparation of lesson plans and tests, and assisting students who are having difficulties in a particular task or lesson. An instructional aide may also take part in counseling and supervising students' behavior during class activities, all while adhering to the school's policies and regulations.
School aides assist teachers in supervising students throughout the school year. The aides help teachers in their record-keeping tasks like grading assignments and taking attendance in class. Some of them help teachers keep the class running smoothly, while others work with students with special needs. They attend staff meetings, in-service training, and school programs. It is part of their job to establish spreadsheets and databases to improve the inventory management of tuition payments and uniforms. They also apply planning, prioritization, and project management skills toward achieving deadlines while they maintain high-quality standards.
Instructional aides and school aides have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instructional Aide | School Aide | |
| Average salary | $30,993 | $29,896 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $38,000 | Between $22,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Columbus, OH | Brentwood, NY |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Boston Public Schools | St. Clare Catholic School |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between an instructional aide and a school aide in terms of educational background:
| Instructional Aide | School Aide | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between instructional aides' and school aides' demographics:
| Instructional Aide | School Aide | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% | Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 25.2% Asian, 7.1% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 22.5% Asian, 7.4% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |