What does a secondary school principal do?
Secondary school principal responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real secondary school principal resumes:
- 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.
Secondary school principal skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Secondary School Principals are proficient in Curriculum Development, Student Achievement, and Staff Development. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Decision-making skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Secondary School Principals that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Curriculum Development, 11%
Constructed students' master schedule and curriculum development; new data-driven assessment implementation; and disciplinary action for staff and students.
- Student Achievement, 11%
Monitored rigor, relevance, student achievement through lesson planning and the delivery of instruction and assessment.
- Staff Development, 9%
Initiate appropriate curriculum/instruction staff development programs
- School Administration, 9%
Provided support and other services for school and community activities; collaborated with school administration and departments.
- Instructional Program, 8%
Supervised program implementation including; instructional programs, extracurricular activities, and discipline systems to ensure a safe and orderly climate.
- Classroom Observations, 7%
Communicate, analyze, monitor classroom observations) provided coaching and feedback, evaluate performance and recommend corrective action.
Most secondary school principals use their skills in "curriculum development," "student achievement," and "staff development" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential secondary school principal responsibilities here:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a secondary school principal to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "principals must communicate effectively with students, teachers, and parents." Additionally, a secondary school principal resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "managed students and communication with parents, organized student activities and curriculum development. "
Decision-making skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling secondary school principal duties is decision-making skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "because principals are responsible for students, staff, and the overall operation of the school, they consider many factors when making decisions." According to a secondary school principal resume, here's how secondary school principals can utilize decision-making skills in their job responsibilities: "maintained daily attendance reports and weekly status reports handled all student issues - advise, counsel and conflict resolutions. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of secondary school principals is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday secondary school principal duties, as "principals work with teachers, parents, and superintendents and must develop positive working relationships with them." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provided coaching, evaluation and professional development on classroom management, culture and interpersonal aptitude. "
Leadership skills. secondary school principal responsibilities often require "leadership skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "principals set educational goals and establish policies and procedures for the school." This resume example shows what secondary school principals do with leadership skills on a typical day: "organized professional development opportunities for educators regarding a wide range of education and leadership topics"
Problem-solving skills. Another crucial skill for a secondary school principal to carry out their responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." A big part of what secondary school principals relies on this skill, since "teachers, students, and other staff report problems to the principal." How this skill relates to secondary school principal duties can be seen in an example from a secondary school principal resume snippet: "maintained daily attendance reports and weekly status reports handled all student issues - advise, counsel and conflict resolutions. "
The three companies that hire the most secondary school principals are:
- ProCare Therapy6 secondary school principals jobs
- CARE1 secondary school principals jobs
- Santa Fe Public Schools1 secondary school principals jobs
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Compare different secondary school principals
Secondary school principal vs. Director of special services
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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a secondary school principal are more likely to require skills like "curriculum development," "student achievement," "school administration," and "instructional program." On the other hand, a job as a director of special services requires skills like "social work," "business development," "mental health," and "securities." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Directors of special services tend to reach lower levels of education than secondary school principals. In fact, directors of special services are 5.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Secondary school principal vs. Director of physical education
Each career also uses different skills, according to real secondary school principal resumes. While secondary school principal responsibilities can utilize skills like "student achievement," "staff development," "school administration," and "instructional program," directors of physical education use skills like "physical education curriculum," "student athletes," "physical education," and "volleyball."
In general, directors of physical education achieve lower levels of education than secondary school principals. They're 12.6% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for secondary school principals in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Albert Boerema Ph.D.
Professor, Calvin University
I have watched them be advised to become proficient, even expert, at particular technological innovation. What has been interesting about that is the specific innovation recommendations change over the years. It has become clear to me that there is no technical fix to the challenge of education. It is just challenging work. Digital technology can make some aspects of it more comfortable. It can make it possible to continue our work, as we have discovered during the covid situation, but helping children grow and develop will always be hard work.
Secondary school principal vs. Curriculum director
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from secondary school principal resumes include skills like "school administration," "student performance," "professional development," and "student discipline," whereas a curriculum director is more likely to list skills in "professional development workshops," "child care," "language arts," and "strategic plan. "
Curriculum directors make a very good living in the non profits industry with an average annual salary of $63,521. On the other hand, secondary school principals are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $83,635.curriculum directors typically earn similar educational levels compared to secondary school principals. Specifically, they're 4.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Secondary school principal vs. Superintendent
Types of secondary school principal
Updated January 8, 2025
