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School administrator vs school principal

The differences between school administrators and 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 school administrator and a school principal. Additionally, a school principal has an average salary of $97,138, which is higher than the $48,331 average annual salary of a school administrator.

The top three skills for a school administrator include student issues, student attendance and curriculum development. The most important skills for a school principal are professional development, curriculum development, and student achievement.

School administrator vs school principal overview

School AdministratorSchool Principal
Yearly salary$48,331$97,138
Hourly rate$23.24$46.70
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs73,01860,093
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age4747
Years of experience44

School administrator vs school principal salary

School administrators and school principals have different pay scales, as shown below.

School AdministratorSchool Principal
Average salary$48,331$97,138
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $73,000Between $71,000 And $131,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYNewark, NJ
Highest paying stateNew YorkNew Jersey
Best paying companyKIPP Northern California Public SchoolsLexington School and Center for the Deaf
Best paying industryProfessionalNon Profits

Differences between school administrator and school principal education

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

School AdministratorSchool Principal
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common majorEducationEducational Leadership
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

School administrator vs school principal demographics

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

School AdministratorSchool Principal
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 40.6% Female, 59.4%Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 4.3% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 4.4% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between school administrator and school principal duties and responsibilities

School administrator example 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.
  • Spearhead efforts to raise student literacy and math scores on standardize tests.
  • Assist or lead meetings including faculty, IEP, and RTI small group.
  • Show more

School principal example responsibilities.

  • Lead school in partnership with local high school to promote higher math, science and technology achievement.
  • Create a PBIS system for teachers on how to manage behavior on a daily basis and reward positive outcomes.
  • Train volunteers to reach kids for Christ.
  • Experience with the Scott Foresman mathematics series for second grade.
  • Interview and hire summer school teaching staff in grades Pre-K through 5thgrade.
  • Design and implement the district's transition to``all-day kindergarten".
  • Show more

School administrator vs school principal skills

Common school administrator skills
  • Student Issues, 21%
  • Student Attendance, 19%
  • Curriculum Development, 9%
  • Classroom Management, 6%
  • School Administration, 5%
  • Payroll, 4%
Common school principal skills
  • Professional Development, 12%
  • Curriculum Development, 8%
  • Student Achievement, 6%
  • Professional Growth, 5%
  • Student Learning, 5%
  • School Administration, 4%

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