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The differences between principals and school directors 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 school director. Additionally, a principal has an average salary of $111,719, which is higher than the $68,563 average annual salary of a school director.
The top three skills for a principal include CRM, project management and financial services. The most important skills for a school director are professional development, K-12, and curriculum development.
| Principal | School Director | |
| Yearly salary | $111,719 | $68,563 |
| Hourly rate | $53.71 | $32.96 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 84,015 | 37,761 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A school director oversees educational programs, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. They typically gather and analyze data, review reports, monitor faculty staff's performance and the progress of all teaching methods, and resolve issues should any arise. They usually work together with the teaching staff to research and develop educational curricula and programs, participate in hiring educators, and supervise staff. Moreover, a school director leads and encourages the workforce to reach goals while implementing the school's policies and regulations, developing new ones when necessary.
Principals and school directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal | School Director | |
| Average salary | $111,719 | $68,563 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $179,000 | Between $46,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Rafael, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Oregon |
| Best paying company | KKR & Co. L.P. | Learning Care Group |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Education |
There are a few differences between a principal and a school director in terms of educational background:
| Principal | School Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between principals' and school directors' demographics:
| Principal | School Director | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.6% Female, 34.4% | Male, 36.4% Female, 63.6% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 11.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 4.3% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |