School secretary vs school administrator

The differences between school secretaries and school administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a school secretary, becoming a school administrator takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a school administrator has an average salary of $48,331, 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 a school administrator are student issues, student attendance, and curriculum development.

School secretary vs school administrator overview

	School Secretary	School Administrator
Yearly salary	$35,126	$48,331
Hourly rate	$16.89	$23.24
Growth rate	-8%	5%
Number of jobs	75,656	73,018
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	50	47
Years of experience	2	4

School secretary vs school administrator salary

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

	School Secretary	School Administrator
Average salary	$35,126	$48,331
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $49,000	Between $31,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	Santa Rosa, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Washington	New York
Best paying company	Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95	KIPP Northern California Public Schools
Best paying industry	Government	Professional

Differences between school secretary and school administrator education

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

	School Secretary	School Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Education
Most common college	Western Carolina University	University of Pennsylvania

School secretary vs school administrator demographics

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

	School Secretary	School Administrator
Average age	50	47
Gender ratio	Male, 5.8% Female, 94.2%	Male, 40.6% Female, 59.4%
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, 12.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 4.3% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	16%

Differences between school secretary and school administrator duties and responsibilities

School secretary example responsibilities.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Coordinate department payroll, electronic share files, and general office operations.
Compose all correspondence and prepare presentations via PowerPoint.
Create PowerPoint presentations used for teachers professional development.
Perform all secretarial duties including attendance, payroll reports and conference arrangements/billing.
Prepare discharges, enter all updates into OASAS system and review patient information to verify patients eligibility to receive transportation reimbursement.

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.

School secretary vs school administrator skills

Common school secretary skills

Word Processing, 12%
Payroll, 12%
Math, 7%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Data Entry, 6%
PowerPoint, 6%

Common school administrator skills

Student Issues, 21%
Student Attendance, 19%
Curriculum Development, 9%
Classroom Management, 6%
School Administration, 5%
Payroll, 4%

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School Secretary
School Secretary vs School Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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