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What is a middle school principal and how to become one
A middle school principal is responsible for providing strategic direction in the school system. It is your job to oversee facilities and evaluate staff. This includes actively accessing teaching methods, monitoring student achievement, and encouraging parents to be involved. You must improve on the school curriculum to meet standards.
Other duties involve developing safety procedures and emergency response procedures. Not just for the students, but you must ensure the effectiveness of the teachers by looking out for their well-being. Apart from this, you must create or supervise the creation of a budget to finance the school's activities.
Leadership skills and patience are key skills every middle school principal should have. Apart from this, you must develop your communication and orientation skills. You must also be people-oriented for workflow efficiency. A bachelor's degree in educational leadership or an equivalent and working experience should be enough to get you a job as a middle school principal. The average yearly salary of a middle school principal is $90,000.
What general advice would you give to a middle school principal?
Dr. Albert Boerema Ph.D.
Professor, Calvin University
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.
Avg. Salary $92,607
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 5%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%
Asian 4.30%
Black or African American 11.74%
Hispanic or Latino 13.93%
Unknown 3.99%
White 65.34%
Genderfemale 43.61%
male 56.39%
Age - 47American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 47Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Middle school principal career paths
Key steps to become a middle school principal
Explore middle school principal education requirements
Start to develop specific middle school principal skills
Skills Percentages Professional Growth 6.34% Instructional Program 5.57% Student Achievement 5.46% Curriculum Development 5.39% Staff Development 5.23% Complete relevant middle school principal training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New middle school principals learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a middle school principal based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real middle school principal resumes.Research middle school principal duties and 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.
- Collaborate with special education teachers and direct all IEP conferences.
- Support CTSO participation and advocate for the increase of more organizations on campus by building partnerships within the community.
Prepare your middle school principal resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your middle school principal resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a middle school principal resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable middle school principal resume templates
Build a professional middle school principal resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your middle school principal resume.
Apply for middle school principal jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a middle school principal job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first middle school principal job
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Average middle school principal salary
The average middle school principal salary in the United States is $92,607 per year or $45 per hour. Middle school principal salaries range between $62,000 and $137,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do middle school principals rate their job?
Middle school principal reviews
Working with children, teachers and parents. Developing programs to suit a child's needs and interests, mmoments in learning and understanding.
Pressure from parents, pressure from the board, stressful and time demanding obstacles. The fact that people treat you so utterly poorly once you become a Principal.
Updated January 8, 2025
