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The differences between school secretaries and administrative professionals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a school secretary and an administrative professional. Additionally, an administrative professional has an average salary of $39,486, which is higher than the $35,126 average annual salary of a school secretary.
The top three skills for a school secretary include word processing, payroll and math. The most important skills for an administrative professional are customer service, powerpoint, and data entry.
| School Secretary | Administrative Professional | |
| Yearly salary | $35,126 | $39,486 |
| Hourly rate | $16.89 | $18.98 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 75,656 | 87,372 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A school secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the school's operations and helping the management to develop strategies and techniques to ensure that the students receive the highest quality of learning. School secretaries manage the data management system of the institution, record students' and staff information, and assist with payroll release. They also serve as a liaison between the staff, students, and the management for any inquiries, concerns, and complaints.
An administrative professional specializes in performing administrative support and clerical tasks in a company or office, ensuring accuracy and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities typically revolve around managing schedules, arranging appointments and meetings, producing progress reports and presentations, delegating tasks, and attending meetings on behalf of executives or staff. There are also instances when an administrative assistant must answer calls and correspondence, respond to inquiries and concerns, welcome guests, relay messages, and provide staff with any support tasks or documents.
School secretaries and administrative professionals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| School Secretary | Administrative Professional | |
| Average salary | $35,126 | $39,486 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $49,000 | Between $23,000 And $65,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 | HomeOwners Advantage |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a school secretary and an administrative professional in terms of educational background:
| School Secretary | Administrative Professional | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between school secretaries' and administrative professionals' demographics:
| School Secretary | Administrative Professional | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 5.8% Female, 94.2% | Male, 17.4% Female, 82.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |