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The differences between school secretaries and administrative receptionists 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 receptionist. Additionally, a school secretary has an average salary of $35,126, which is higher than the $31,502 average annual salary of an administrative receptionist.
The top three skills for a school secretary include word processing, payroll and math. The most important skills for an administrative receptionist are customer service, patients, and data entry.
| School Secretary | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Yearly salary | $35,126 | $31,502 |
| Hourly rate | $16.89 | $15.15 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 75,656 | 91,892 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| 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 receptionist is responsible for performing administrative tasks, handling visitors' inquiries and concerns, verifying appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel and department, as well as handling and routing calls. Administrative receptionists also keep records of the staff meeting and executive conference, including company and promotional events. They receive packages and mail, sort documents, manage office supply inventories, create incident reports, and report suspicious guests within the premises. An administrative receptionist must have excellent communication and customer service skills, especially on resolving and escalating complaints.
School secretaries and administrative receptionists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| School Secretary | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Average salary | $35,126 | $31,502 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $49,000 | Between $25,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | Oakland, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 | Beacon Hill Staffing Group |
| Best paying industry | Government | Technology |
There are a few differences between a school secretary and an administrative receptionist in terms of educational background:
| School Secretary | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between school secretaries' and administrative receptionists' demographics:
| School Secretary | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 5.8% Female, 94.2% | Male, 8.0% Female, 92.0% |
| 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, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |