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Principal vs high school principal

The differences between principals 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 and a high school principal. Additionally, a principal has an average salary of $111,719, which is higher than the $96,329 average annual salary of a high school principal.

The top three skills for a principal include CRM, project management and financial services. The most important skills for a high school principal are student achievement, curriculum development, and staff development.

Principal vs high school principal overview

PrincipalHigh School Principal
Yearly salary$111,719$96,329
Hourly rate$53.71$46.31
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs84,01561,948
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age4747
Years of experience44

What does a principal do?

A principal is responsible for maintaining the orderliness of the school premises and supervising school operations, enforcing strict safety standards, and reiterating regulatory procedures. Principals' duties also include managing and monitoring school budget and expenses, improving security plans, conducting regular meetings and sharing updates with teachers and other school personnel, creating reports for school funding, and setting academic goals for everyone's compliance. A principal must administer excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills to handle major administrative tasks in maintaining the school's growth.

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 vs high school principal salary

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

PrincipalHigh School Principal
Average salary$111,719$96,329
Salary rangeBetween $69,000 And $179,000Between $70,000 And $131,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYEast Palo Alto, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkWashington
Best paying companyKKR & Co. L.P.Jo-Ann Stores
Best paying industryProfessionalEducation

Differences between principal and high school principal education

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

PrincipalHigh School Principal
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common majorBusinessEducational Leadership
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Principal vs high school principal demographics

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

PrincipalHigh School Principal
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 65.6% Female, 34.4%Male, 64.1% Female, 35.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.0% 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 Percentage16%16%

Differences between principal and high school principal duties and responsibilities

Principal example responsibilities.

  • Manage all documentation associate with FMLA, ADA, & DOL requests.
  • Develop schedules, payroll, and manage recruiting, hiring and company standards to ensure customer satisfaction.
  • Launch, continue to manage, and act as primary portfolio manager and trader for boutique investment consulting firm.
  • Manage the RFP process for a new medical plan TPA delivering a savings of almost $1MM in fix costs.
  • Achieve 7-digit annual revenues from start-up in one year by capitalizing on accurate niche market gap and consumer demand identification.
  • Manage all human resource matters, including payroll and benefits administration.
    • Show more

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 vs high school principal skills

Common principal skills
  • CRM, 7%
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Financial Services, 6%
  • Healthcare, 6%
  • Professional Services, 5%
  • ERP, 5%
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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Updated January 8, 2025

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