What does a school principal do?
A School Principal supervises and directs education and teaching programs within a school. They develop and implement policies, programs, curriculum activities, budgets, and more.
School principal responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real school principal resumes:
- 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".
- Expand the team concept to include an``at-risk"intervention plan.
- Formulate procedural documents, such as code of ethics, student, parent, and staff handbooks.
- Perform all executive and administrative duties, along with payroll, scheduling, reports and training need for this position.
- Collaborate with teachers to develop an agency-wide lesson planning template addressing NYS expectations, IEP goals and objectives, assessment techniques.
- Used community meetings at the school to have the students present musical and dramatic programs, spelling bees and math competitions.
- Receive certification in early childcare and CPR certification.
- Administer program budgets and payroll to maintain fiscal responsibility.
- Perform administrative duties, maintain office files and oversee all counselor CPR safety certifications.
- Attend, organize and facilitate all IEP meetings including completion, implementation and technical programming.
School principal skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of School Principals are proficient in Professional Development, Curriculum Development, and Student Achievement. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Decision-making skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of School Principals that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Professional Development, 12%
Designed and facilitated professional development opportunities that challenged and developed staff members and resulted in students test scores increasing.
- Curriculum Development, 8%
Supervised teacher staff * Provided training and orientation * Lead faculty in appropriate curriculum development
- Student Achievement, 6%
Developed and implemented remedial before and after school program to increase student achievement and parental involvement.
- Professional Growth, 5%
Evaluated teachers and conducted written reviews that encouraged professional growth.
- Student Learning, 5%
Planned and coordinated weekly field trips and hands-on projects for student learning.
- School Administration, 4%
Understand and implement all aspects of public school administration.
Common skills that a school principal uses to do their job include "professional development," "curriculum development," and "student achievement." You can find details on the most important school principal responsibilities below.
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a school principal to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "principals must communicate effectively with students, teachers, and parents." Additionally, a school principal resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "implemented a school-wide initiative for the integration and use of technology with classroom instruction, student learning activities, and communications. "
Decision-making skills. Another essential skill to perform school principal duties is decision-making skills. School principals responsibilities require that "because principals are responsible for students, staff, and the overall operation of the school, they consider many factors when making decisions." School principals also use decision-making skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "developed discipline program (conflict resolution and student discipline), allocated resources, and established a staff/teacher compensation program. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of school principals is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday school principal duties, as "principals work with teachers, parents, and superintendents and must develop positive working relationships with them." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provided coaching, evaluation and professional development on classroom management, culture and interpersonal aptitude. "
Leadership skills. For certain school principal responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "leadership skills." The day-to-day duties of a school principal rely on this skill, as "principals set educational goals and establish policies and procedures for the school." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what school principals do: "appointed to district leadership team to plan and present professional development activities for principals and assistant principals. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for school principal responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of school principals all the time, as "teachers, students, and other staff report problems to the principal." An excerpt from a real school principal resume shows how this skill is central to what a school principal does: "evaluate student learning/behavioral problems and discuss alternative solutions. "
The three companies that hire the most school principals are:
- CARE11 school principals jobs
- Democracy Prep Public Schools4 school principals jobs
- Distinctive Schools3 school principals jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable school principal resume templates
Build a professional school principal resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your school principal resume.
Compare different school principals
School principal vs. Curriculum director
Superintendents oversee the administration of schools in a specific school district. They manage the educational programs of each school and create strategic decisions to ensure that the students are learning important subjects. They also supervise school administrators or principals and are responsible for hiring and guiding them. Superintendents should be familiar with their constituents and must always be ready to listen to their needs. It is important that superintendents are good decision-makers and communicators. They are expected to lead their respective districts in achieving their vision. Superintendents drive the team towards their goals and create strategic steps to ensure success.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between school principals and curriculum director. For instance, school principal responsibilities require skills such as "professional development," "school administration," "learning environment," and "school management." Whereas a curriculum director is skilled in "professional development workshops," "child care," "language arts," and "classroom observations." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Curriculum directors really shine in the non profits industry with an average salary of $63,521. Comparatively, school principals tend to make the most money in the non profits industry with an average salary of $98,222.The education levels that curriculum directors earn slightly differ from school principals. In particular, curriculum directors are 10.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a school principal. Additionally, they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.School principal vs. Director of physical education
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, school principal responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "student achievement," "professional growth," "student learning," and "school administration." Meanwhile, a director of physical education has duties that require skills in areas such as "physical education curriculum," "student athletes," "physical education," and "volleyball." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In general, directors of physical education achieve lower levels of education than school principals. They're 18.5% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for school principals in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Albert Boerema Ph.D.
Professor, Calvin University
I have watched them be advised to become proficient, even expert, at particular technological innovation. What has been interesting about that is the specific innovation recommendations change over the years. It has become clear to me that there is no technical fix to the challenge of education. It is just challenging work. Digital technology can make some aspects of it more comfortable. It can make it possible to continue our work, as we have discovered during the covid situation, but helping children grow and develop will always be hard work.
School principal vs. Superintendent
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a school principal is likely to be skilled in "curriculum development," "student achievement," "professional growth," and "student learning," while a typical superintendent is skilled in "osha," "quality standards," "construction management," and "logistics."
Superintendents earn the best pay in the construction industry, where they command an average salary of $85,679. School principals earn the highest pay from the non profits industry, with an average salary of $98,222.Most superintendents achieve a lower degree level compared to school principals. For example, they're 31.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 4.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.School principal vs. Director of special services
Types of school principal
Updated January 8, 2025
