Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary

Education and TrainingO*NET 11-9032.00United States

Plan, direct, or coordinate the academic, administrative, or auxiliary activities of kindergarten, elementary, or secondary schools.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$105,322

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+2.5%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
Master's or Professional degree

76.3% of the workforce

Employment
335K jobs

Growing to 343.21K by 2035

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Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What education administrators, kindergarten through secondary do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the 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.
  • Enforce discipline and attendance rules.
  • Collaborate with teachers to develop and maintain curriculum standards, develop mission statements, and set performance goals and objectives.
  • Recruit, hire, train, and evaluate primary and supplemental 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.
  • Plan and lead professional development activities for teachers, administrators, and support staff.
  • Evaluate curricula, teaching methods, and programs to determine their effectiveness, efficiency, and use, and to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
  • Create school improvement plans, using student performance data.
  • Prepare and submit budget requests and recommendations, or grant proposals to solicit program funding.
  • Determine allocations of funds for staff, supplies, materials, and equipment, and authorize purchases.
  • Plan and develop instructional methods and content for educational, vocational, or student activity programs.
  • Participate in special education-related activities, such as attending meetings and providing support to special educators throughout the district.
  • Recommend personnel actions related to programs and services.
  • Prepare, maintain, or oversee the preparation and maintenance of attendance, activity, planning, or personnel reports and records.
  • Teach classes or courses to students.
  • Review and approve new programs, or recommend modifications to existing programs, submitting program proposals for school board approval as necessary.
  • Meet with federal, state, and local agencies to stay abreast of policies and to discuss improvements for education programs.
  • Write articles, manuals, and other publications, and assist in the distribution of promotional literature about facilities and programs.
  • Coordinate and direct extracurricular activities and programs, such as after-school events and athletic contests.
  • Organize and direct committees of specialists, volunteers, and staff to provide technical and advisory assistance for programs.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$75,670
25th percentile
$85,481
50th percentile
$105,322
75th percentile
$134,239
90th percentile
$167,963

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $105,322 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+2.5%average or slower
2025334,997 jobs
2035 projected343,210 jobs

8,213 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Master's or Professional degree
76.3%
Bachelor's degree
23.7%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Student Services
  • Educational Leadership
  • Special Education
  • Curriculum Development
  • Continuous Improvement Process
  • Student Information Systems
  • Office Equipment
  • Data Analysis
  • Educational Administration
  • Support Services
  • Academic Advising
  • Individualized Education Programs (IEP)
  • Public Relations
  • Student Engagement
  • Performance Review
  • Instructional Strategies
  • Classroom Management
  • Auditing
  • Effective Communication
  • Community Relations

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Assistant Principals3,995 postings
  2. 02Principals2,337 postings
  3. 03High School Assistant Principals1,995 postings
  4. 04School Principals1,491 postings
  5. 05Elementary Principals1,477 postings
  6. 06Elementary School Principals1,384 postings
  7. 07Middle School Principals1,153 postings
  8. 08High School Principals1,114 postings
  9. 09Elementary Assistant Principals1,079 postings
  10. 10Superintendents1,062 postings
  11. 11Middle School Assistant Principals1,030 postings
  12. 12Academic Advisors1,008 postings
  13. 13Athletic Directors895 postings
  14. 14Elementary School Assistant Principals674 postings
  15. 15Student Services Coordinators531 postings
  16. 16Assistant Superintendents497 postings
  17. 17Assistant Directors459 postings
  18. 18Directors of Special Education418 postings
  19. 19Student Services Specialists403 postings
  20. 20Directors of Student Services345 postings

Top employers

  1. 01Edjoin.Org2,026 postings
  2. 02GPAC554 postings
  3. 03Herc256 postings
  4. 04IDEA Public Schools241 postings
  5. 05Alabama Department Of Education220 postings
  6. 06California State University-Chancellors Office220 postings
  7. 07Michigan Association Of School Boards194 postings
  8. 08Clark County School District179 postings
  9. 09Oklahoma State School Boards Association175 postings
  10. 10Wayne-Finger Lakes Boces167 postings
  11. 11State Of West Virginia161 postings
  12. 12Charter Schools USA136 postings
  13. 13YMCA127 postings
  14. 14Kenosha Unified School District124 postings
  15. 15College of Southern Nevada121 postings
  16. 16Jefferson County Public Schools114 postings
  17. 17Loudoun County Public Schools108 postings
  18. 18Childtime Learning Centers106 postings
  19. 19Pearson Education106 postings
  20. 20Maricopa Community Colleges105 postings

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