How To Become A School Administrator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a school administrator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Bill McGinley,

Marie Leahy

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a school administrator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $23.24 an hour? That's $48,331 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 14,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a school administrator?

Bill McGinley

President & CEO, American College of Health Care Administrators

LTC administrators should have at least a bachelor's degree in business or a healthcare-related field. A well-rounded internship that exposes the future administrator to all aspects of the operation is essential. Needed skills include business, marketing, finance, operations, management and leadership.
Post pandemic opportunities will be nationwide in this field with a greater need in rural areas.
Technology will continue to play a big role in the field. Computerized medical records, census management, and all clinical areas will continue to dominate. Online meetings are liable to continue as well, as employers realize that there is a savings to be gained by not having people travel to meetings and conferences.

ScoreSchool AdministratorUS Average

Salary

3.8

Avg. Salary $48,331

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 4.33%

Black or African American 12.38%

Hispanic or Latino 14.10%

Unknown 4.00%

White 64.49%

Gender

female 59.39%

male 40.61%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a school administrator

Explore school administrator education requirements

Most common school administrator degrees

Bachelor's

54.2 %

Master's

28.5 %

Associate

8.3 %

Start to develop specific school administrator skills

Skills	Percentages
Student Issues	20.96%
Student Attendance	19.36%
Curriculum Development	8.51%
Classroom Management	5.80%
School Administration	4.58%

Complete relevant school administrator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New school administrators 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 school administrator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real school administrator resumes.

Research school administrator duties and responsibilities

Manage social media profiles through Facebook for important details and dates pertaining to HeartChase.
Provide administrative duties for Pre-K to 7th grade.
Perform presentations using Smartboard, Powerpoint, and Smilebox.
Lead teacher for pre-k class specializing in children with special needs.

Prepare your school administrator resume

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