Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between school superintendents and superintendents 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 superintendent. Additionally, a school superintendent has an average salary of $93,341, which is higher than the $82,458 average annual salary of a superintendent.
The top three skills for a school superintendent include curriculum development, K-12 and student achievement. The most important skills for a superintendent are OSHA, quality standards, and construction management.
| School Superintendent | Superintendent | |
| Yearly salary | $93,341 | $82,458 |
| Hourly rate | $44.88 | $39.64 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 30,220 | 22,580 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| 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.
Superintendents oversee the administration of schools in a specific school district. They manage the educational programs of each school and create strategic decisions to ensure that the students are learning important subjects. They also supervise school administrators or principals and are responsible for hiring and guiding them. Superintendents should be familiar with their constituents and must always be ready to listen to their needs. It is important that superintendents are good decision-makers and communicators. They are expected to lead their respective districts in achieving their vision. Superintendents drive the team towards their goals and create strategic steps to ensure success.
School superintendents and superintendents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| School Superintendent | Superintendent | |
| Average salary | $93,341 | $82,458 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $131,000 | Between $57,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | - | BP America Inc |
| Best paying industry | - | Construction |
There are a few differences between a school superintendent and a superintendent in terms of educational background:
| School Superintendent | Superintendent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Educational Leadership | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between school superintendents' and superintendents' demographics:
| School Superintendent | Superintendent | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5% | Male, 93.3% Female, 6.7% |
| 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, 12.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 4.2% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |