Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
Plan, direct, or coordinate the academic, administrative, or auxiliary activities of kindergarten, elementary, or secondary schools.
Also called: Athletic Director · Curriculum and Instruction Superintendent · Elementary Principal · High School Principal (HS Principal) · Middle School Principal (MS Principal) · Principal
Median pay (national)
$104,070
$72,400–$165,820 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
319,630
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
-1.5%
~20,800 openings/yr
Typical entry
Master's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for education administrators, kindergarten through secondary shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $165,820 versus $72,400 at the bottom 10% — 2.3x. The median of $104,070 leaves roughly 59% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change -1.5% from 2024 to 2034 — a projected decline, against +3% across all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 20,800 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 54 states with released data, Washington pays the most for this role (median $161,090, +55% vs the national median), while Guam sits lowest at $58,370 — a 176% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Speaking, Active Listening, Learning Strategies as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Student information systems SIS software as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Learning Strategies
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Active Learning
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Counsel and provide guidance to students regarding personal, academic, vocational, or behavioral issues.
- Confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities, policies, and student behavior or learning problems.
- Determine the scope of educational program offerings, and prepare drafts of course schedules and descriptions to estimate staffing and facility requirements.
- Observe teaching methods and examine learning materials to evaluate and standardize curricula and teaching techniques and to determine areas for improvement.
- Collaborate with teachers to develop and maintain curriculum standards, develop mission statements, and set performance goals and objectives.
- Enforce discipline and attendance rules.
- Recruit, hire, train, and evaluate primary and supplemental staff.
- Plan and lead professional development activities for teachers, administrators, and support staff.
- Direct and coordinate activities of teachers, administrators, and support staff at schools, public agencies, and institutions.
- Set educational standards and goals, and help establish policies and procedures to carry them out.
Tools & technology
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Student information systems SIS software
- Apache Cassandra
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- SAS
- The MathWorks MATLAB
- ACS Technologies HeadMaster
- Attendance tracking software
- Blackbaud The Education Edge
- Blackboard software
- Bloomz
- Common Curriculum
- Computer Resources MMS
- Desmos
- eDistrict Internet Solutions eDistrict Unified
Knowledge areas
- Education and Training
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Administrative
- Mathematics
- Customer and Personal Service
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Computers and Electronics