Secondary school principal vs school administrator

The differences between secondary school principals and school administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a secondary school principal and a school administrator. Additionally, a secondary school principal has an average salary of $92,688, which is higher than the $48,331 average annual salary of a school administrator.

The top three skills for a secondary school principal include curriculum development, student achievement and staff development. The most important skills for a school administrator are student issues, student attendance, and curriculum development.

Secondary school principal vs school administrator overview

	Secondary School Principal	School Administrator
Yearly salary	$92,688	$48,331
Hourly rate	$44.56	$23.24
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	58,245	73,018
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

Secondary school principal vs school administrator salary

Secondary school principals and school administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Secondary School Principal	School Administrator
Average salary	$92,688	$48,331
Salary range	Between $63,000 And $134,000	Between $31,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	Menlo Park, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New York
Best paying company	Jefferson County Public School	KIPP Northern California Public Schools
Best paying industry	Education	Professional

Differences between secondary school principal and school administrator education

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

	Secondary School Principal	School Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Educational Leadership	Education
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Secondary school principal vs school administrator demographics

Here are the differences between secondary school principals' and school administrators' demographics:

	Secondary School Principal	School Administrator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 70.8% Female, 29.2%	Male, 40.6% Female, 59.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.3% White, 65.5% 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	16%	16%

Differences between secondary school principal and school administrator duties and responsibilities

Secondary school principal example responsibilities.

Lead the NCA steering committee to assist with the school improvement process.
Provide oversight of significant curriculum changes design to better meet the needs of the diverse student body.
Develop academic curriculum, prepare budget, execute in-service teacher training, oversight for discipline and athletic programs.
Establish and maintain relationships with colleges, community organizations, and other schools to coordinate educational services.

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.

Secondary school principal vs school administrator skills

Common secondary school principal skills

Curriculum Development, 11%
Student Achievement, 11%
Staff Development, 9%
School Administration, 9%
Instructional Program, 8%
Classroom Observations, 7%

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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Secondary School Principal
Secondary School Principal vs School Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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