As education has become a central focus of American politics and civic life in the past several decades, reforms of the education system and its administrative structure have opened up a number of education leadership jobs that range from overseeing entire school districts to managing just one school, and several other unique avenues within the education profession. The demand for good teachers and administrators is always strong, especially with strict requirements and standards that expect only the best job performance from education professionals.
Assistant School Principals
Considered the entry-level educational leadership position, most assistant principals possess a bachelor’s degree in their field of expertise or in educational administration. They may also hold master’s degrees and special administrative certificates. For this reason, this profession is considered extremely accessible to teachers looking for a promotion and increased responsibility in their schools; it is expected to grow by more than 25% through the end of the decade as school add more assistant principals in order to better meet the individual needs of their students.
Assistant school principals generally make $57,000 per year when they first begin their position, and over time their growing numbers average $77,000 per year in the United States. Assistant principals have been known to cross the barrier into the six-figure salary range, earning just over $101,000 on the highest end of the salary scale.
School Principals
In the United States, roughly 230,000 people hold the title of “School Principal,” at either the elementary, middle, or high school levels. These professionals generally hold at least a master’s degree in education administration, and often hold even higher advanced degrees in their academic and administrative fields of expertise. Their numers are expected to grow by more than 30,000 over the course of the current decade, to 260,000 by 2019. While that might seem like modest job growth, it’s important to remember that these principals frequently seek higher positions (such as superintendent) that means the net number of openings over the next decade will be far greater.
School principal salaries vary by state, as each state sets is educational professional pay scale independently. However, the national average salary for a school principal at any level was $93,100 in the United States as of 2010. First-year principals can expect to earn a bit less at first, starting at $72,000 annually. The highest-paid school principals typically earn more than $115,000 per year in the United States, which is far and away the highest salary among non-post-secondary educational administrators.
School District Superintendents
These educational administrators are responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of an entire school district, and they typically have obtained their master’s degree in education administration. A vast majority of school district superintendents have also completed their doctoral work, making them among the highest-educated professionals in many school districts. Their ranks are expected to increase by between ten and fifteen percent, year over year, through 2018. Because these positions are highly paid, held in good regard, and generally the top of the ladder for pre-secondary administrators, turnover is low and demand is far less rare than for other positions.
A superintendent who is new on the job can expect earnings of approximately $92,000 per year, while the average national salary easily hits six figures at an annual rate of $115,000 each year in the United States. Superintendents who have been on the job the longest — and many of them serve very long careers in education — can expect a maximum salary of just under $200,000 annually. This is the best-paid position in any school district, and it’s easy to see why these administrators are inclined to stay in one place through their retirement.
College President
For those that aspire to a career beyond leading a high school or school district, a college presidency might be the way to go. But, it’s worth noting that these positions are considered extremely prestigious and are rarely widely available. It stands to reason: there are less colleges and universities than there are school districts in the United States.
College presidents generally have completed their doctoral work and have extensive experience teaching in a collegiate environment. They are also often seasoned in the administrative realm, as well. For this reason, most college president are chosen from within. Their ranks are expected to stay largely the same over the next decade, with positions expected to grow more slowly than the wide American average.
Those who can manage to break into one of the most elite education leadership jobs in the United States can expect to earn $130,000 per year when they begin. They stand to join a group of educational leadership professionals who make an average salary of $$242,000 annually. The longest-tenured college presidents pull in a staggering $426,000 per year in America, the highest education salary in the land.