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The differences between school superintendents and principals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a school superintendent and a principal. Additionally, a principal has an average salary of $111,719, which is higher than the $93,341 average annual salary of a school superintendent.
The top three skills for a school superintendent include curriculum development, K-12 and student achievement. The most important skills for a principal are CRM, project management, and financial services.
| School Superintendent | Principal | |
| Yearly salary | $93,341 | $111,719 |
| Hourly rate | $44.88 | $53.71 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 30,220 | 84,015 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A school superintendent leads and oversees a school district, working with school leaders to ensure that operations run smoothly and efficiently according to standards and regulations. They are primarily in charge of establishing short and long-term goals, developing strategies to meet them. They are also responsible for supervising the employment procedures, selecting the ideal resources to support the students' and schools' needs, monitoring operations, and solving issues and concerns when any arise. Moreover, a school superintendent has the authority to make significant decisions while adhering to the district's vision and mission.
A principal is responsible for maintaining the orderliness of the school premises and supervising school operations, enforcing strict safety standards, and reiterating regulatory procedures. Principals' duties also include managing and monitoring school budget and expenses, improving security plans, conducting regular meetings and sharing updates with teachers and other school personnel, creating reports for school funding, and setting academic goals for everyone's compliance. A principal must administer excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills to handle major administrative tasks in maintaining the school's growth.
School superintendents and principals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| School Superintendent | Principal | |
| Average salary | $93,341 | $111,719 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $131,000 | Between $69,000 And $179,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | KKR & Co. L.P. |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a school superintendent and a principal in terms of educational background:
| School Superintendent | Principal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Educational Leadership | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between school superintendents' and principals' demographics:
| School Superintendent | Principal | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5% | Male, 65.6% Female, 34.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 4.4% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |