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The differences between school superintendents and school directors 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 school director. Additionally, a school superintendent has an average salary of $93,341, which is higher than the $68,563 average annual salary of a school director.
The top three skills for a school superintendent include curriculum development, K-12 and student achievement. The most important skills for a school director are professional development, K-12, and curriculum development.
| School Superintendent | School Director | |
| Yearly salary | $93,341 | $68,563 |
| Hourly rate | $44.88 | $32.96 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 30,220 | 37,761 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| 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 school director oversees educational programs, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. They typically gather and analyze data, review reports, monitor faculty staff's performance and the progress of all teaching methods, and resolve issues should any arise. They usually work together with the teaching staff to research and develop educational curricula and programs, participate in hiring educators, and supervise staff. Moreover, a school director leads and encourages the workforce to reach goals while implementing the school's policies and regulations, developing new ones when necessary.
School superintendents and school directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| School Superintendent | School Director | |
| Average salary | $93,341 | $68,563 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $131,000 | Between $46,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Rafael, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Oregon |
| Best paying company | - | Learning Care Group |
| Best paying industry | - | Education |
There are a few differences between a school superintendent and a school director in terms of educational background:
| School Superintendent | School Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Educational Leadership | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between school superintendents' and school directors' demographics:
| School Superintendent | School Director | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5% | Male, 36.4% Female, 63.6% |
| 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, 11.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 4.3% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |