Office secretary vs school secretary

The differences between office secretaries and school secretaries can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an office secretary and a school secretary. Additionally, a school secretary has an average salary of $35,126, which is higher than the $33,118 average annual salary of an office secretary.

The top three skills for an office secretary include data entry, phone calls and telephone calls. The most important skills for a school secretary are word processing, payroll, and math.

Office secretary vs school secretary overview

	Office Secretary	School Secretary
Yearly salary	$33,118	$35,126
Hourly rate	$15.92	$16.89
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	87,771	75,656
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does an office secretary do?

An office secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations and prevent delays with project deliverables. Office secretaries also welcome guests, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and direct them to the appropriate department or personnel for their appointments. They schedule meetings, sort documents, handle incoming and outgoing mail, as well as manage inventories for the adequacy of office supplies. An office secretary must have excellent time-management and multitasking skills to conduct tasks within a strict deadline and minimal supervision.

What does a school secretary do?

A school secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the school's operations and helping the management to develop strategies and techniques to ensure that the students receive the highest quality of learning. School secretaries manage the data management system of the institution, record students' and staff information, and assist with payroll release. They also serve as a liaison between the staff, students, and the management for any inquiries, concerns, and complaints.

Office secretary vs school secretary salary

Office secretaries and school secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Office Secretary	School Secretary
Average salary	$33,118	$35,126
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $42,000	Between $25,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Santa Rosa, CA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Washington
Best paying company	Guidehouse	Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95
Best paying industry	Telecommunication	Government

Differences between office secretary and school secretary education

There are a few differences between an office secretary and a school secretary in terms of educational background:

	Office Secretary	School Secretary
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Office secretary vs school secretary demographics

Here are the differences between office secretaries' and school secretaries' demographics:

	Office Secretary	School Secretary
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%	Male, 5.8% Female, 94.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office secretary and school secretary duties and responsibilities

Office secretary example responsibilities.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Research and keep updated on Medicare and Medicaid benefits, qualification requirements, and the legal and financial effects of options.
Determine client eligibility for Medicaid transportation.
Process and submit payroll information and invoices.
Maintain departmental inventory, purchasing/travel paperwork, and process payroll.
Answer customer phone calls-Record daily business transactions-Manage QuickBooks and bank accounts-Enter parts invoices and take inventory

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School secretary example responsibilities.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Coordinate department payroll, electronic share files, and general office operations.
Compose all correspondence and prepare presentations via PowerPoint.
Create PowerPoint presentations used for teachers professional development.
Perform all secretarial duties including attendance, payroll reports and conference arrangements/billing.
Prepare discharges, enter all updates into OASAS system and review patient information to verify patients eligibility to receive transportation reimbursement.

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Office secretary vs school secretary skills

Common office secretary skills

Data Entry, 12%
Phone Calls, 11%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Scheduling Appointments, 7%
Office Procedures, 7%
Payroll, 6%

Common school secretary skills

Word Processing, 12%
Payroll, 12%
Math, 7%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Data Entry, 6%
PowerPoint, 6%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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