Careers · Explore one path
Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
Plan, direct, or coordinate the academic, administrative, or auxiliary activities of kindergarten, elementary, or secondary schools.
Other titles employers use
Athletic Director · Curriculum and Instruction Superintendent · Elementary Principal · High School Principal (HS Principal) · Middle School Principal (MS Principal) · Principal · School Administrator (School Admin) · SPED Director (Special Education Director)
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to helping, persuading and organizing work.
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Learning Strategies
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
Subjects to know
- Education and Training
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Administrative
- Mathematics
Useful strengths
- Oral Expression
- Oral Comprehension
- Written Comprehension
- Speech Clarity
- Deductive Reasoning
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.9 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 4.0 | Up and down through the day |
| Talking face to face | 4.8 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 1.4 | Little of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a master's degree. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A master's degree 61%
- A four-year degree 24%
- A doctorate or professional degree 15%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Analytical or scientific software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Electronic mail software
- Data base management system software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Presentation software
- Document management software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 37,260
- Job openings each year
- 2,730
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 13.0%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 37,260 | 2,730 | 13.0% |
| California | 30,900 | 2,120 | 4.4% |
| New York | 23,450 | 360 | 18.0% |
| Florida | 15,260 | 1,110 | 11.8% |
| Illinois | 13,350 | 900 | 3.0% |
| New Jersey | 12,820 | 880 | 4.6% |
| Ohio | 10,930 | 750 | 4.0% |
| North Carolina | 9,360 | 660 | 7.8% |
| Georgia | 8,410 | 600 | 10.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 8,130 | 540 | 1.1% |
| Michigan | 8,030 | 530 | — |
| Maryland | 7,880 | 570 | 10.8% |
| Virginia | 7,740 | 510 | — |
| Washington | 7,310 | 650 | 15.1% |
| Colorado | 6,610 | 500 | 16.2% |
| Missouri | 6,390 | 430 | 3.1% |
| Tennessee | 6,390 | 480 | 15.6% |
| Indiana | 5,790 | 390 | 2.7% |
| Arizona | 5,220 | 360 | 3.8% |
| South Carolina | 4,880 | 350 | 8.9% |
| Louisiana | 4,760 | 320 | 3.9% |
| Wisconsin | 4,640 | 320 | 5.2% |
| Connecticut | 4,460 | 310 | 7.0% |
| Minnesota | 4,460 | 310 | 4.2% |
| Kentucky | 4,370 | 290 | 1.6% |
| Alabama | 4,180 | 290 | 5.8% |
| Oklahoma | 3,760 | 260 | 5.6% |
| Oregon | 3,750 | 260 | 3.6% |
| Massachusetts | 3,480 | 250 | 10.1% |
| Mississippi | 3,150 | 220 | 4.7% |
| Iowa | 3,100 | 220 | 7.3% |
| Utah | 2,770 | 210 | 19.4% |
| Kansas | 2,490 | 170 | 2.9% |
| Arkansas | 2,390 | 160 | 3.0% |
| Nevada | 2,090 | 150 | 6.1% |
| New Mexico | 2,010 | 140 | 6.3% |
| Nebraska | 1,970 | 130 | 3.1% |
| Maine | 1,680 | 110 | — |
| West Virginia | 1,630 | 110 | 3.8% |
| Idaho | 1,570 | 120 | 15.4% |
| District of Columbia | 1,550 | 110 | 6.9% |
| New Hampshire | 1,430 | 90 | 1.4% |
| Rhode Island | 1,230 | 80 | 1.7% |
| Delaware | 1,000 | 70 | 9.9% |
| Vermont | 980 | 70 | 2.1% |
| Montana | 890 | 60 | 4.7% |
| North Dakota | 830 | 60 | 7.8% |
| South Dakota | 730 | 50 | 5.8% |
| Alaska | 460 | 30 | — |
| Wyoming | 440 | 30 | 10.0% |
| Virgin Islands | 240 | 10 | −4.0% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Ohio State University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 85
- Admit rate
- 51%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- Degrees each year
- 42
- Admit rate
- 88%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
University of Delaware
- Degrees each year
- 20
- Admit rate
- 65%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
Midwestern State University
- Degrees each year
- 20
- Admit rate
- 87%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
Cleveland State University
- Degrees each year
- 19
- Admit rate
- 95%
- Annual cost after aid
- $15,000
Georgia Gwinnett College
- Degrees each year
- 11
- Admit rate
- 96%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
Claflin University
- Degrees each year
- 7
- Admit rate
- 73%
- Annual cost after aid
- —
Saint Joseph's University
- Degrees each year
- 5
- Admit rate
- 86%
- Annual cost after aid
- $24,000
Compare every college offering educational administration and supervision