K-12 school principal vs director of special services

The differences between k-12 school principals and directors of special services can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a k-12 school principal and a director of special services. Additionally, a director of special services has an average salary of $81,779, which is higher than the $67,099 average annual salary of a k-12 school principal.

The top three skills for a k-12 school principal include curriculum development, professional development and mathematics. The most important skills for a director of special services are social work, business development, and mental health.

K-12 school principal vs director of special services overview

	K-12 School Principal	Director Of Special Services
Yearly salary	$67,099	$81,779
Hourly rate	$32.26	$39.32
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	59,729	70,868
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

K-12 school principal vs director of special services salary

K-12 school principals and directors of special services have different pay scales, as shown below.

	K-12 School Principal	Director Of Special Services
Average salary	$67,099	$81,779
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $131,000	Between $56,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between k-12 school principal and director of special services education

There are a few differences between a k-12 school principal and a director of special services in terms of educational background:

	K-12 School Principal	Director Of Special Services
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Education	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Northwestern University

K-12 school principal vs director of special services demographics

Here are the differences between k-12 school principals' and directors of special services' demographics:

	K-12 School Principal	Director Of Special Services
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 63.7% Female, 36.3%	Male, 41.7% Female, 58.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between k-12 school principal and director of special services duties and responsibilities

K-12 school principal example responsibilities.

Lead the NCA steering committee to assist with the school improvement process.
Establish and maintain relationships with colleges, community organizations, and other schools to coordinate educational services.
Establish and maintain relationships with colleges, community organizations, and other schools to coordinate educational services.

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.

K-12 school principal vs director of special services skills

Common k-12 school principal skills

Curriculum Development, 39%
Professional Development, 19%
Mathematics, 16%
Instructional Leadership, 14%
Staff Development, 12%

Common director of special services skills

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

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K-12 School Principal
K-12 School Principal vs Director Of Special Services

Updated January 8, 2025

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