Principal investigator vs high school principal

The differences between principal investigators and high school principals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a principal investigator and a high school principal. Additionally, a high school principal has an average salary of $96,329, which is higher than the $84,635 average annual salary of a principal investigator.

The top three skills for a principal investigator include patients, data collection and project management. The most important skills for a high school principal are student achievement, curriculum development, and staff development.

Principal investigator vs high school principal overview

	Principal Investigator	High School Principal
Yearly salary	$84,635	$96,329
Hourly rate	$40.69	$46.31
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	44,475	61,948
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does a principal investigator do?

A Principal Investigator is the primary person who is responsible for designing, conducting, and reporting a research project. They report to a designated official such as the department head or division chief.

What does a high school principal do?

A High School Principal oversees and supervises the daily operations of a high school. They are typically in charge of setting goals and objectives, establishing budgets and guidelines, creating schedules, spearheading academic programs, developing strategies to accomplish objectives, and conducting regular workforce assessments, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. It is also their responsibility to address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Moreover, a High School Principal implements policies and regulations to maintain a healthy and safe learning environment for everyone.

Principal investigator vs high school principal salary

Principal investigators and high school principals have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Principal Investigator	High School Principal
Average salary	$84,635	$96,329
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $120,000	Between $70,000 And $131,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	East Palo Alto, CA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Incyte	Jo-Ann Stores
Best paying industry	Technology	Education

Differences between principal investigator and high school principal education

There are a few differences between a principal investigator and a high school principal in terms of educational background:

	Principal Investigator	High School Principal
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Psychology	Educational Leadership
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Pennsylvania

Principal investigator vs high school principal demographics

Here are the differences between principal investigators' and high school principals' demographics:

	Principal Investigator	High School Principal
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 52.2% Female, 47.8%	Male, 64.1% Female, 35.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 4.4% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between principal investigator and high school principal duties and responsibilities

Principal investigator example responsibilities.

Serve chemistry project leads for two early-stage drug discovery projects.
Design, build and manage CADD, NMR and MRI facilities.
Attain IRB approval, recruit participants, analyze the data and present results
Manage outsource projects, and interact with vendors for API sourcing, and device components base on project needs.
Conduct research using industry standards: GCP, GLP, SORP and compliance with IRB.
Receive IRB approval and clearance for research

High school principal example responsibilities.

Facilitate teacher lead PBIS committee to implement effective school wide discipline campaigns and activities for students.
Create a PBIS system for teachers on how to manage behavior on a daily basis and reward positive outcomes.
Lead counselor meetings, IEP's, conduct parent/teacher meetings.
Assist in coordinating, developing, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the IEP.
Co-Design kindergarten readiness program that will bring in-home and wrap around services to academically at-risk kindergarten students.
Result in international interest in available ESL programs.

Principal investigator vs high school principal skills

Common principal investigator skills

Patients, 10%
Data Collection, 9%
Project Management, 8%
Technical Reports, 6%
FDA, 4%
Data Analysis, 4%

Common high school principal skills

Student Achievement, 8%
Curriculum Development, 7%
Staff Development, 6%
Instructional Program, 6%
Professional Growth, 6%
Student Learning, 6%

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Principal Investigator
Principal Investigator vs High School Principal

Updated January 8, 2025

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