What is a Vice Principal?

Vice principals, also called assistant principals, help principals with the overall administration of elementary, middle, or high schools. Their duties vary depending on the type and size of the school. However, they are responsible for helping the principal manage the teachers, communicate with parents, solve disciplinary problems, and manage the school budget. They set the school timetable each year to help determine class size. Likewise, they arrange teachers' schedules and decide the classes they will be assigned to. Asides from this, they conduct the interview, hiring, and selection process of the school staff.

Requirements vary by state. Generally, you require at least a bachelor's degree, educational training, and a state license. Candidates must have management, interpersonal, and communication skills. You must also be able to operate certain computer software programs and multimedia equipment. Vice principals make an average base pay of $90,101 annually. This varies between $53,000 and $152,000.

What Does a Vice Principal Do

There are certain skills that many vice principals have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, decision-making skills and leadership skills.

Learn more about what a Vice Principal does

How To Become a Vice Principal

If you're interested in becoming a vice principal, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 50.3% of vice principals have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 33.8% of vice principals have master's degrees. Even though most vice principals have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Top Vice Principal Jobs Near You

Vice Principal Career Paths

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of principal you might progress to a role such as vice president eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title executive director.

Vice Principal

Principal Vice President

Principal Superintendent

Elementary School Principal

High School Principal

9 Years

Elementary School Principal Superintendent

Site Manager

7 Years

Average Salary for a Vice Principal

Vice Principals in America make an average salary of $88,764 per year or $43 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $121,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $64,000 per year.

Average Vice Principal Salary

$88,764 Yearly

$42.67 hourly

$64,00010%

$88,000Median

$121,00090%

See More Salary Information

What Am I Worth?

Roles and Types of Vice Principal

There are several types of vice principal, including:

Superintendent

Role:

The best thing about being a superintendent is the kids. Sure, you may not have a direct impact on them, but the things that you approve or deny can impact their education. And like the saying goes, "children are the future" so your job is pretty important. After all, you don't want to be the reason the future is bleak.

With all pressure aside, it's pretty cool having a handle on how and what kids will be learning. And when they do succeed, that's got to be a great feeling. That's where you being supportive of teachers comes into play. Not everyone learns the same way, and no one knows how your school's students learn better than your teachers. So it's important to listen to them. Because they know what's going on.

Another huge part of being a superintendent is balancing the budget. Sometimes you're going to have to figure out a way to pay for something. Whether that leads you to invest in a money tree or dig for treasure, some things are just more important than others. That's where a good backbone comes into play. You need to learn how to say "no" for some situations.

Average Salary: $82,458
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Principal

Role:

We all had that principal in school that had a lasting impression on us. Whether they helped us make a change in our lives that was for the better or they taught us valuable lessons, like the importance of showing up on time. Now, it's your turn to have a lasting impression on some kids' lives.

As principal, everyone is going to know who you are. You're the one that gets to enforce all of the rules, and make sure the teachers are following them, too! But you also get to go to fun conferences with your teachers and learn new ways to teach your kiddos.

The best part of being a principal is getting to watch your students go on to the next step. Whether that's middle school, high school, or college. Knowing that you had a hand in each students' education and future has to make you feel good at the end of the day.

Average Salary: $111,719
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Principal Investigator

Role:

The preparation, conduct, and administration of a research grant, contract, cooperative agreement, or other sponsored project is the sole responsibility of a principal investigator. He/She is responsible for developing project research designs. He/She plans, oversees, and participates in fieldwork and analysis and compiles various reports. Additionally, he/she keeps himself updated on the regulations surrounding his/her research, the additional requirements set by the funding agency, study sponsor, and relevant regulatory authorities. Lastly, he/she prepares costs estimates and budgets. The private investigator may consult with review agencies, tribal representatives, and other interested parties.

To become a private investigator, you need to be holding a master's degree or Ph.D. in anthropology or a related field. You must have at least ten years of fieldwork and analytical experience. You must be familiar with relevant regulations and laws. Private investigators earn a whooping sum of $106,052. Their salary varies from $63,000 to $180,000.

Average Salary: $84,635
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Vice Principal Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active vice principal jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where vice principals earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Vice Principal Jobs By State

Rank	State	Number of Jobs	Average Salary
1	California	2,094	$88,174
2	Texas	2,071	$77,692
3	Florida	1,936	$80,697
4	Illinois	1,757	$91,848
5	Virginia	1,171	$77,687
6	Washington	1,119	$94,963
7	Pennsylvania	1,093	$88,833
8	North Carolina	1,062	$76,762
9	New York	974	$91,518
10	Ohio	847	$84,983
11	Arizona	846	$71,011
12	Georgia	829	$74,089
13	Minnesota	727	$82,546
14	Colorado	711	$69,785
15	Massachusetts	678	$81,851
16	New Jersey	660	$101,215
17	Maryland	650	$89,847
18	Oregon	583	$83,616
19	Wisconsin	424	$78,439
20	Connecticut	418	$85,262
21	Missouri	389	$72,549
22	Indiana	361	$88,622
23	Michigan	359	$82,575
24	Tennessee	285	$66,765
25	Kentucky	244	$66,971
26	Kansas	240	$64,017
27	Arkansas	231	$71,379
28	Nevada	221	$70,979
29	New Hampshire	214	$90,200
30	Nebraska	210	$65,083
31	South Carolina	206	$65,618
32	Alabama	188	$63,215
33	Idaho	187	$73,602
34	New Mexico	172	$72,775
35	Utah	154	$70,404
36	Montana	153	$69,966
37	Iowa	134	$67,422
38	Vermont	113	$97,227
39	Louisiana	110	$65,978
40	Oklahoma	95	$68,816
41	West Virginia	71	$91,132
42	Maine	71	$74,759
43	Mississippi	57	$70,236
44	South Dakota	53	$90,382
45	Rhode Island	53	$80,883
46	Delaware	51	$99,911
47	Wyoming	44	$65,129
48	North Dakota	43	$82,637
49	Alaska	39	$86,228
50	Hawaii	35	$61,005

Vice Principal Education

Vice Principal Majors

Educational Leadership

19.0 %

Education

17.4 %

Elementary Education

10.5 %

Vice Principal Degrees

Admissions

Most Popular Majors

Education

Psychology

Business

Political Science

Elementary Education

Top Skills For a Vice Principal

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 12.3% of vice principals listed curriculum development on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and decision-making skills are important as well.

Curriculum Development, 12.3%

Vice-Principal, 11.1%

Classroom Management, 9.7%

Professional Development, 9.5%

Mathematics, 3.7%

Other Skills, 53.7%

Choose From 10+ Customizable Vice Principal Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Vice Principal templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Vice Principal resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Vice Principal Demographics

Vice Principal Gender Distribution

Male

50%

Female

50%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

Among vice principals, 49.7% of them are women, while 50.3% are men.

The most common race/ethnicity among vice principals is White, which makes up 65.5% of all vice principals.

The most common foreign language among vice principals is Spanish at 39.2%.

Online Courses For Vice Principal That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure

1. Music Education for Teachers

In the Music Education for Teachers specialization, you will explore ways of integrating popular music into your teaching. You'll begin by learning from two highly experienced teachers, Krystal Banfield, the Vice President of Educational Outreach for Berklee College of Music, and David Alexis a Berklee Professor and long-time instructor for the Berklee City Music Program. They will take you through their process of incorporating popular music, improvisation, arranging, and music technology into...

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2. Assessment in Higher Education: Professional Development for Teachers

Are you a teacher in higher education wanting to get the best out of your students and assessments? Then on behalf of Risbo, Erasmus University Rotterdam, we would like to welcome you to this MOOC on Assessment in Higher Education. In this MOOC we will guide you through the different phases of preparing, creating and evaluating the assessments in your course. After participating in this MOOC, you will be able to: 1. Design an assessment that is constructively aligned (content, level, methods)...

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3. Ubiquitous Learning and Instructional Technologies

This course will analyze currently available technologies for learning. Areas addressed include: learning management systems, intelligent tutors, computer adaptive testing, gamification, simulations, learning in and through social media and peer interaction, universal design for learning, differentiated instruction systems, big data and learning analytics, attention monitoring, and affect-aware systems. Participants will explore the processes for selection and implementation of suitable...

See More on Coursera

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Job type you want

Full Time

Part Time

Internship

Temporary

Best States For a Vice Principal

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a vice principal. The best states for people in this position are New Jersey, Delaware, Vermont, and Washington. Vice principals make the most in New Jersey with an average salary of $101,215. Whereas in Delaware and Vermont, they would average $99,911 and $97,227, respectively. While vice principals would only make an average of $94,963 in Washington, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Vermont

Total Vice Principal Jobs: 113

Highest 10% Earn:

$132,000

Location Quotient:

1.64

$97,227

Avg. Salary

View 113 Vice Principal Jobs In VT

2. Washington

Total Vice Principal Jobs: 1,119

Highest 10% Earn:

$134,000

Location Quotient:

1.71

$94,963

Avg. Salary

View 1,119 Vice Principal Jobs In WA

3. Illinois

Total Vice Principal Jobs: 1,757

Highest 10% Earn:

$124,000

Location Quotient:

1.64

$91,848

Avg. Salary

View 1,757 Vice Principal Jobs In IL

Full List Of Best States For Vice Principals

How Do Vice Principal Rate Their Jobs?

Top Vice Principal Employers

Most Common Employers For Vice Principal

Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
1	Princeton Public Schools	$109,151	$52.48	6
2	San Diego Unified School District	$97,862	$47.05	9
3	West Contra Costa Unified School District	$97,092	$46.68	3
4	Lodi Unified School District	$95,889	$46.10	4
5	Charles County Public Schools	$94,565	$45.46	4
6	Bradford Academy	$93,530	$44.97	6
7	Duval County Public Schools	$93,165	$44.79	6
8	Pleasanton Unified School District	$90,955	$43.73	5
9	Heritage	$89,111	$42.84	3
10	Archbishop Carroll High School	$82,853	$39.83	4

Updated February 6, 2023

What is a Vice Principal?

What Does a Vice Principal Do

How To Become a Vice Principal

Vice Principal Career Paths

Top Careers Before Vice Principal

Top Careers After Vice Principal

Recent Job Searches

Average Salary for a Vice Principal

Roles and Types of Vice Principal

Superintendent

Principal

Principal Investigator

States With The Most Vice Principal Jobs

Number Of Vice Principal Jobs By State

Vice Principal Education

Vice Principal Majors

Vice Principal Degrees

Top Colleges for Vice Principals

1. University of Pennsylvania

2. Northwestern University

3. Harvard University

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

6. New York University

7. University of California, Berkeley

8. Johns Hopkins University

9. Lehigh University

10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Top Skills For a Vice Principal

Choose From 10+ Customizable Vice Principal Resume templates

Vice Principal Demographics

Vice Principal Gender Distribution

Online Courses For Vice Principal That You May Like

Best States For a Vice Principal

How Do Vice Principal Rate Their Jobs?

Top Vice Principal Employers

Most Common Employers For Vice Principal

Vice Principal Related Careers

Vice Principal Related Jobs

What Similar Roles Do

Resume For Related Jobs