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The differences between school principals and school superintendents 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 principal and a school superintendent. Additionally, a school principal has an average salary of $97,138, which is higher than the $93,341 average annual salary of a school superintendent.
The top three skills for a school principal include professional development, curriculum development and student achievement. The most important skills for a school superintendent are curriculum development, K-12, and student achievement.
| School Principal | School Superintendent | |
| Yearly salary | $97,138 | $93,341 |
| Hourly rate | $46.70 | $44.88 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 60,093 | 30,220 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A School Principal supervises and directs education and teaching programs within a school. They develop and implement policies, programs, curriculum activities, budgets, and more.
A school superintendent leads and oversees a school district, working with school leaders to ensure that operations run smoothly and efficiently according to standards and regulations. They are primarily in charge of establishing short and long-term goals, developing strategies to meet them. They are also responsible for supervising the employment procedures, selecting the ideal resources to support the students' and schools' needs, monitoring operations, and solving issues and concerns when any arise. Moreover, a school superintendent has the authority to make significant decisions while adhering to the district's vision and mission.
School principals and school superintendents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| School Principal | School Superintendent | |
| Average salary | $97,138 | $93,341 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $131,000 | Between $66,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | - |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | - |
| Best paying company | Lexington School and Center for the Deaf | - |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | - |
There are a few differences between a school principal and a school superintendent in terms of educational background:
| School Principal | School Superintendent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Educational Leadership | Educational Leadership |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between school principals' and school superintendents' demographics:
| School Principal | School Superintendent | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4% | Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 4.4% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |