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What is a school superintendent and how to become one
Generally, school superintendents are tasked with overseeing the operations of schools in a school district. Their duties revolve around budget development and management, student performance evaluation, personnel management, instructional program review, and facility management. They ensure that each institution meets the educational standards and district goals. They are hired by school boards to work for public school systems. Asides from that, they collaborate with the principals of each school to develop and implement policies. Likewise, they work with the school board to create and implement a budget for the district. Additionally, they make decisions about educational and extracurricular programs.
School superintendents hold at least a bachelor's degree in a related field. They have decision-making, organization, leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills. They have extensive knowledge of educational technology and computer skills. Moreover, they earn a whooping sum of $165,456 per year. The range falls between $135,155 and $199,646.
What general advice would you give to a school superintendent?
Dr. Alyson Theriot
Associate Professor, Nicholls State University
Avg. Salary $93,341
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 5%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%
Asian 4.40%
Black or African American 11.09%
Hispanic or Latino 14.46%
Unknown 4.01%
White 65.35%
Genderfemale 28.52%
male 71.48%
Age - 47American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 47Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
School superintendent career paths
Key steps to become a school superintendent
Explore school superintendent education requirements
Start to develop specific school superintendent skills
Skills Percentages Curriculum Development 11.51% K-12 9.41% Student Achievement 7.39% Public Schools 5.90% Elementary Schools 5.63% Complete relevant school superintendent training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New school superintendents learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a school superintendent based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real school superintendent resumes.Research school superintendent duties and responsibilities
- Create a PBIS system for teachers on how to manage behavior on a daily basis and reward positive outcomes.
- Establish and maintain relationships with colleges, community organizations, and other schools to coordinate educational services.
- Reconcile special activity bank accounts and run reports using QuickBooks and upload into SharePoint.
Prepare your school superintendent resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your school superintendent resume.
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Choose from 10+ customizable school superintendent resume templates
Build a professional school superintendent resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your school superintendent resume.
Apply for school superintendent jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a school superintendent job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first school superintendent job
Are you a school superintendent?
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Average school superintendent salary
The average school superintendent salary in the United States is $93,341 per year or $45 per hour. School superintendent salaries range between $66,000 and $131,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do school superintendents rate their job?
School superintendent reviews
Working with children, teachers and parents. Developing programs to suit a child's needs and interests, mmoments in learning and understanding.
Pressure from parents, pressure from the board, stressful and time demanding obstacles. The fact that people treat you so utterly poorly once you become a Principal.
Updated January 8, 2025
