Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between 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 superintendent and a principal. Additionally, a principal has an average salary of $111,719, which is higher than the $82,458 average annual salary of a superintendent.
The top three skills for a superintendent include OSHA, quality standards and construction management. The most important skills for a principal are CRM, project management, and financial services.
| Superintendent | Principal | |
| Yearly salary | $82,458 | $111,719 |
| Hourly rate | $39.64 | $53.71 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 22,580 | 84,015 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
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.
Superintendents and principals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Superintendent | Principal | |
| Average salary | $82,458 | $111,719 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $119,000 | Between $69,000 And $179,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New York |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | KKR & Co. L.P. |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Professional |
There are a few differences between a superintendent and a principal in terms of educational background:
| Superintendent | Principal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between superintendents' and principals' demographics:
| Superintendent | Principal | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.3% Female, 6.7% | Male, 65.6% Female, 34.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |