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Job outlook for k-12 school principals in the United States
Are k-12 school principal jobs in demand?
K-12 school principal job and salary trends over time
K-12 school principal jobs over time
K-12 school principal job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 199 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 190 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 197 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 191 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 182 | 0.00% |
Average k-12 school principal salary over time
K-12 school principal salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $67,099 | $32.26 | +2.2% |
| 2024 | $65,675 | $31.57 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $64,932 | $31.22 | +1.0% |
| 2022 | $64,305 | $30.92 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $63,025 | $30.30 | +2.3% |
K-12 school principal jobs by state
Most common states for k-12 school principals
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 274 | 20% |
| 2 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 202 | 19% |
| 3 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 722 | 17% |
| 4 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1,766 | 14% |
| 5 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 762 | 14% |
| 6 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 487 | 14% |
| 7 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 714 | 13% |
| 8 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,056 | 12% |
| 9 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 809 | 12% |
| 10 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 211 | 12% |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 1,376 | 11% |
| 12 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 662 | 11% |
| 13 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 229 | 11% |
| 14 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 203 | 11% |
| 15 | Delaware | 961,939 | 103 | 11% |
| 16 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 76 | 11% |
| 17 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 61 | 11% |
| 18 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 295 | 10% |
| 19 | Alaska | 739,795 | 74 | 10% |
| 20 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 894 | 9% |
Most common cities for k-12 school principals
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glen Cove | 1 | 4% | $112,330 |
| 2 | Jackson | 1 | 3% | $91,551 |
K-12 School Principal job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of k-12 school principal experts
Seattle University
Presbyterian College
Eastern Kentucky University
Calvin University
Central State University
What general advice would you give to a K-12 School Principal?
Linda Vogel Ph.D.: First, graduates from a BA program with teacher licensure should teach for at least two years before considering a MA program with principal licensure. This way, they understand school processes and challenges before seeking to lead change in the education system. Also, being a master teacher in whatever subject area you teach will increase your credibility with teachers in the building you lead once you obtain your principal license. In Colorado, the administrator license is for district-level/superintendent positions, so it is best to first obtain your principal license and work as a principal for a few years before earning the administrator license. Also, the building-level leadership experience enhances one’s chances of securing a district-level position.
What K-12 School Principal skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Linda Vogel Ph.D.: The easy answer is to apply to a school/district in a higher SES urban area. However, small, rural schools are in desperate need of effective teachers and also for effective school and district leaders. Few educators who remain in the classroom or who take on leadership roles are motivated primarily by the financial rewards, so one needs to understand what motivates them and what contexts they feel most comfortable and fulfilled.
What will help K-12 School Principals increase their earning potential?
Linda Vogel Ph.D.: The ability to support diverse student needs is paramount now and will likely only increase in the future. Also, the ability to look at challenges with flexibility. This may include hybrid/blended/virtual learning options to meet student needs. Partnerships with community agencies and businesses will also likely be an increasing strength in the future as education options become more competitive.
What general advice would you give to a K-12 School Principal?
Dr. Matthew Ohlson Ph.D.: Principal: Learn, Learn, Learn! The beginning of your career is where the real skills training starts. Sign up for any training opportunities, volunteer for activities or committees and be engaged in professional development and not just a passive learner. Take every experience is a step towards your next role.
My Coaching with New Leaders: Coaching New Leaders: Daily Reflection and Growth
Parking Lot Rule: Each day, before leaving school, take a moment to reflect on one positive thing you accomplished. Whether it's supporting a teacher, connecting with a student, or sharing school successes with a community member, focusing on these daily achievements will help you recognize and feel the impact of your leadership.
Mentorship: Seek guidance and support from experienced mentors who can provide valuable advice and perspective. Mentorship is a valuable resource as you navigate the challenges and responsibilities of your role.
Celebrate Successes: Have a clear vision of what success looks like for you (at work, at home, etc.) Recognize and celebrate your achievements and milestones.
What K-12 School Principal skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Matthew Ohlson Ph.D.: Become knowledgeable and most importantly, comfortable, sharing the data and impact you’ve had as a school leader. The use of data is so imperative to show progress towards long and short-term goals, for example: attendance gains, teacher retention rates, etc. School leaders can seek more compensation and larger responsibilities in more prominent roles when they are able to show how their leadership made a difference. Annual impact reports, data snapshots, student/teacher testimonials, etc. can illustrate how your leadership impacted teaching and learning.
What will help K-12 School Principals increase their earning potential?
Dr. Matthew Ohlson Ph.D.: Principal: Collaboration, the reteaching of conversations skills and interaction, empathy, grit, ability to blend virtual and in-person strategies effectively.
My Coaching with New Leaders: New leaders must navigate the complexities of the role where one moment you are harnessing your logistics talents in terms of scheduling and the next moment you are motivating students for graduation, and then celebrating teachers to kick off the school year. Your positive energy is contagious and even though you feel overwhelmed or apprehensive, great school leaders consistently show a sense of confidence and an unwavering belief in their “why.” It is imperative to harness skills/resources such as public speaking/social media (tell your story or someone else will!), grit (If you know you why, you can navigate any “how”) and promoting positivity (It’s not bragging if it’s true).
What general advice would you give to a K-12 School Principal?
Rolf Straubhaar: Being a school leader is one of the most time and energy-intensive careers in the US. On a day-to-day basis, you are leading professional development, doing walk-throughs in classrooms, handling student discipline, talking with parents, advocating for your school and community to higher-ups at the district and state level-in general, you are putting out both literal and metaphorical fires all day to make sure the kids in your school building feel safe and learn.
What will help K-12 School Principals increase their earning potential?
Rolf Straubhaar: People love the meaning being a school leader brings to their lives, as on a day-to-day basis you are making a direct impact on the lives and futures of children. They dislike having to deal with unnecessary and distracting political fights that do nothing to improve the lives of children.
Ted Kalmus
Program Director, Educational Administration (EDAD), Instructor, Educational Administration (EDAD)Seattle University
College of Education
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the K-12 School Principal job market given the pandemic?
Ted Kalmus: The pandemic has both magnified and shone a light on the opportunity gaps in our educational delivery systems. In one sense this has served as an urgent catalyst for deferred initiatives - one-to-one programs, SEL programs, and review and/or abandonment of punitive evaluation or disciplinary systems. As such educational leaders have been asked to lead, communicate, and manage change at a faster rate than they may have thought possible. While many of our educational leaders can speak with well-earned pride about the many ways they have successfully adapted the delivery of school to meet the moment, there is a visible cost to the constant pursuit of scarce resources, negotiation with important issues of safety and labor forces, and relentless questioning of each decision from parents. Thus, most of our educational leaders can also profess a level understandable.
Thus, I think it is likely that we will see a greater number of educational leaders step away from their positions, if not this spring then in the year that follows. With statewide and national dollars prioritizing risk mitigation and faculty salaries, it is unlikely that we will see short-term movement in administrator salaries. Further, expect to see schools and districts not wanting to close the door on practices and initiatives that found footing during the pandemic: Hybrid models that are more cost- and time-efficient, sustained equity initiatives and re-imagining of student assessment systems to name a few.
Dr. Patricia L. Jones Ed.D.
ChairPresbyterian College
Education Department
What experience really stands out on K-12 School Principal resumes?
Dr. Patricia L. Jones Ed.D.: What always seems to stand out is their community service and engagement beyond academics. Also, if they have done some sort of an internship in their field, this gives them a hiring advantage.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for K-12 School Principals in the next 5 years?
Dr. Faye Deters: The Bureau for Labor Statistics predicts 4% job growth (average) for this field over the next nine years.
What general advice would you give to a K-12 School Principal?
Dr. Albert Boerema Ph.D.: As one begins a career in educational leadership, the temptation is to pay attention to organizational details, to help things run smoothly, to avoid controversy. My advice is that while those are important, they are not at the center of leading. Instead, there needs to be a focus on issues of equity and justice. It turns out that organizational details do reflect those issues. Still, suppose we do not focus, first of all, on this big picture, getting the "trains to run on time" without thinking about justice. In that case, we will instead wind up maintaining a status quo that privileges some and marginalizes others. The core challenge of leadership is keeping justice at the center.
This is true for all leadership work. In school or educational leadership, it means paying attention to how pedagogical, curricular, and assessment choices provide real opportunities for those on the margins to thrive.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for K-12 School Principals in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Albert Boerema Ph.D.: I have been involved with school leadership for a long time-18 years as a high school principal and 15 years as an educational leadership professor. This is long enough to know that technology continues to change, and digital technology changes at a fast pace. I have watched new technologies become touted as the answer to our challenges in education. Over the years, I have been involved with preparing school teachers and leaders.
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.
How would you rate the starting salaries for K-12 School Principals, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Dr. Albert Boerema Ph.D.: If this question is essential to potential educational leaders, I would recommend looking for some other career. Working in schools, and mainly working as a school leader, and even more notably, during the covid situation, is just hard, hard work. Potential school leaders need to enter the profession out of a desire to serve their schools, the students, families, and staff. Salaries are essential to maintain one's life, but they are not the goal. If salaries become the goal, the job will never be satisfying.
Nathan Boles
Assistant Professor of INS (Intervention Specialist) ProgramCentral State University
College of Education
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for K-12 School Principals to find work opportunities?
Nathan Boles: Graduates looking for their first teaching opportunity in the field of teaching will find many available in the majority of states. COVID has caused many educators to take early retirement and has caused the teacher to student ratio to decrease, leaving school districts desperately looking for new teachers. Many school districts are hiring students for January 2021, providing them with the opportunity to get an alternate license for teaching while still taking their student teaching and passing their required licensure tests. It is a crucial time in our country; this is an opportunity for educator-practitioners to get their foot in the door early. At current, I have personally seen four student teachers get hired in one school district in two weeks. The need is great, and providing free and appropriate education for all students is vital!
What type of skills will young K-12 School Principals need?
Nathan Boles: The current state of our country, due to COVID-19, will be a challenge for current and future graduates from the college of education. Rethinking and revising how instruction can be delivered to students, especially those with disabilities, has been one of the main topics for providing a safe learning environment. Graduates will need to have the tenacity to face various challenges that our local schools face during virtual learning and classroom changes.
Creativity, flexibility, and being a system thinker is imperative for young graduates entering the workforce. Having the ability to make critical adjustments to their mental models for creating a conducive and productive learning environment for their students is crucial. Recent and future graduates who have or will obtain their teaching license must understand and empathize with their teaching students, how our country's condition has had a tremendous effect on the families of the students they will be serving. Being a highly qualified teacher (HQT) in the specific content area is vital, but using technology and different learning management systems (LMS) will be of great importance to the schools they serve.
How do you envision technology impacting K-12 School Principals in the next 5 years?
Nathan Boles: Technology has defined how 21st-century students are learning new material. COVID has also exposed how prepared our school districts are with providing the curriculum virtually and how much educators know about and how to use technology. We are in a time when teachers are not considered the primary source of information, but only one of many sources. The impact of technology in the next five years will be even more significant due to the need and development of online and hybrid learning. Young graduates will need to familiarize themselves with teaching in a face-to-face environment and teach virtually, using new technology. Graduates should know more than the basics when using technology and how they can be innovative for the future of educational technology.