Assistant Principal: Pay & Requirements

Overview

Sourced

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

O*NET definition of Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary (SOC 11-9032) · Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed.

266,040

in government (SOC 11-9032)

81%

of this occupation works for government

$108,210

median pay in government

Local

levels of government

Occupation figures cover every job classified under SOC 11-9032, including Principal, School Superintendent.

Titles employers use

Elementary PrincipalMS Principal (Middle School Principal)School Administrator (School Admin)SuperintendentAthletic DirectorCurriculum and Instruction SuperintendentCurriculum DirectorK-12 Principal (Kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade Principal)School SuperintendentSPED Director (Special Education Director)

How people usually get in Editorial

admin license. Requirements vary by employer; each employer page will list its exact rules.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership; U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), O*NET 31.0 Database; GovJobsWiki job taxonomy v1 (research round R240) (editorial). Data captured September 30, 2026.

Requirements

Sourced

Typical entry requirements (BLS, SOC 11-9032)

Education needed to enter: Master's degree
Related work experience: 5 years or more
On-the-job training: None

Education workers say the job requires

Bachelor's Degree

27%

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

Master's Degree

62%

Post-Master's Certificate

10%

Doctor's Degree

Share of surveyed workers in Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary (SOC 11-9032) naming each level as required to be hired, 37 respondents, O*NET survey August 2026. Each employer sets its own minimum.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — education and training assignments by detailed occupation (Tables 5.3, 5.4); U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), O*NET 31.0 Database. Data captured September 30, 2026.

How to get hired

Sourced

Principals typically need a master's degree in education administration or leadership. In addition, they need teaching experience.

From the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile “Elementary, Middle, and High School Principals”, published August 27, 2026 · Read the full profile. National guidance; each employer runs its own hiring process.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–35 edition (XML compilation). Data captured September 30, 2026.

Academy and training

Sourced

Training to become competent (BLS)

SOC 11-9032: None

Preparation level (O*NET)

Job zone: Extensive Preparation Needed

Academy length, curriculum and paid-training policies are set by each employer and state; they are part of the employer collection stage.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — education and training assignments by detailed occupation (Tables 5.3, 5.4). Data captured September 30, 2026.

Promotion ladder

Editorial

Civil-service class series: civil-service class series I → II → III → senior → supervisor → manager, each with a salary range. Typical structure for a civil-service class series; titles, steps and timing differ by employer.

Trainee / Assistant
Level I
Level II (journey)
Level III / Senior
Lead / Principal
Supervisor
Manager
Director / Division Chief

Source: GovJobsWiki job taxonomy v1 (research round R240) (editorial).

Pay

Sourced

Federal

Not published

State

$126,860

Local

$107,990

All government

$108,210

Private sector

$98,050

Median annual wage by employer type, national, May 2025. Federal includes the U.S. Postal Service; state and local include public schools and hospitals.

Employer type	Workers	10th pct.	25th	Median	75th	90th
State	3,680	$82,870	$102,400	$126,860	$137,470	$167,290
Local	262,350	$79,220	$94,340	$107,990	$136,040	$168,170
All government	266,040	$79,290	$94,630	$108,210	$136,140	$168,150
Private sector	62,290	$60,180	$76,920	$98,050	$126,910	$164,660

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Schedule

Sourced

Work schedule

Regular

93%

Irregular

Seasonal

Typical work week

Less than 40 hours

40 hours

19%

More than 40 hours

80%

Share of surveyed workers in the occupation (O*NET work context, August 2026). Shift patterns and differentials depend on the employer.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), O*NET 31.0 Database. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Day-to-day work

Sourced

Counsel and provide guidance to students regarding personal, academic, vocational, or behavioral issues.4.5
Confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities, policies, and student behavior or learning problems.4.3
Observe teaching methods and examine learning materials to evaluate and standardize curricula and teaching techniques and to determine areas for improvement.4.3
Enforce discipline and attendance rules.4.2
Determine the scope of educational program offerings, and prepare drafts of course schedules and descriptions to estimate staffing and facility requirements.4.2
Recruit, hire, train, and evaluate primary and supplemental staff.4.2
Collaborate with teachers to develop and maintain curriculum standards, develop mission statements, and set performance goals and objectives.4.2
Set educational standards and goals, and help establish policies and procedures to carry them out.4.1
Evaluate curricula, teaching methods, and programs to determine their effectiveness, efficiency, and use, and to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.4.0
Plan and lead professional development activities for teachers, administrators, and support staff.4.0

The 10 most important of 24 core tasks for Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary, ranked by importance (1–5) in the O*NET survey of August 2026.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), O*NET 31.0 Database. Data captured September 30, 2026.

13Derived

Employer directory

Sourced

13,321 school districts in the registry. Regular public school districts in the NCES Common Core of Data (charter-only districts are not included). The 10 largest by teachers (fte):

Employer	Location	Teachers (FTE)	Website
Chicago Public Schools Dist 299	Chicago, IL	23,532	Official site
Los Angeles Unified	Los Angeles, CA	21,246	Official site
MIAMI-DADE	Miami, FL	17,139	Official site
Clark County	Las Vegas, NV	16,446	Official site
Fairfax County Public Schools	Falls Church, VA	13,501	Official site
Gwinnett County	Lawrenceville, GA	12,796	—
Hawaii Department of Education	Honolulu, HI	12,215	Official site
Montgomery County Public Schools	Rockville, MD	11,574	Official site
PALM BEACH	West Palm Beach, FL	11,548	Official site
ORANGE	Orlando, FL	11,416	Official site

Full lists by state:

Texas · 1,022 California · 988 Illinois · 855 New York · 717 Ohio · 619 New Jersey · 560 Michigan · 536 Missouri · 518 Oklahoma · 507 Pennsylvania · 500 Wisconsin · 420 Montana · 392

As reported by each employer to its federal registry.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2024–25 local education agency universe (directory and staff). Data captured September 30, 2026.

By state

Sourced

Median annual wage for Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary (SOC 11-9032) in each state, all employers (BLS state estimates do not separate government from private). Highest first.

State	Workers	10th pct.	Median	90th pct.
Washington	6,470	$111,830	$166,590	$205,500
California	31,370	$103,250	$159,950	$202,380
Connecticut	4,610	$86,840	$156,240	$194,310
New York	19,210	$87,100	$138,830	$200,380
District of Columbia	1,930	$100,350	$137,470	$176,490
New Jersey	11,450	$103,030	$137,440	$188,060
Delaware	1,100	$101,350	$132,710	$152,520
Maryland	7,200	$81,060	$131,510	$172,170
Oregon	4,160	$76,240	$130,050	$165,060
Utah	2,940	$79,220	$128,880	$161,920
Massachusetts	10,570	$81,640	$128,430	$166,240
Minnesota	4,120	$78,570	$127,000	$166,270
Hawaii	1,910	$85,880	$126,760	$168,760
Alaska	890	$102,930	$125,520	$133,330
Rhode Island	1,160	$80,530	$119,980	$150,300
Pennsylvania	14,460	$78,490	$118,710	$161,140
Wisconsin	4,030	$82,010	$117,010	$140,520
Illinois	14,850	$78,070	$113,360	$169,400
Nebraska	1,860	$85,370	$110,580	$156,580
Colorado	5,760	$81,340	$110,530	$160,940
Nevada	2,490	$62,980	$109,420	$136,040
North Dakota	810	$81,010	$107,940	$155,860
New Mexico	2,290	$83,860	$107,720	$133,580
Virginia	8,470	$78,300	$106,100	$164,320
Wyoming	410	$85,510	$105,480	$126,400
Vermont	1,000	$76,900	$105,350	$134,570
New Hampshire	1,590	$80,220	$104,910	$129,840
Iowa	3,310	$77,350	$104,260	$154,000
Michigan	9,610	$77,340	$104,020	$134,430
Georgia	7,530	$81,440	$103,360	$135,990
Maine	1,710	$79,850	$102,890	$128,750
South Carolina	5,000	$75,810	$102,440	$134,490
Idaho	1,830	$76,290	$101,090	$128,320
Kansas	2,520	$77,520	$100,530	$127,470
Missouri	7,120	$74,570	$100,400	$133,090
Kentucky	4,940	$75,270	$99,920	$130,310
Ohio	12,480	$62,160	$99,590	$129,160
Indiana	6,990	$66,440	$98,770	$132,400
Tennessee	6,180	$70,960	$97,590	$134,630
Alabama	3,020	$76,150	$97,480	$123,070
Arizona	5,270	$62,690	$97,480	$128,320
Florida	16,960	$61,030	$96,490	$130,650
Montana	930	$63,960	$95,700	$127,800
Texas	37,140	$72,230	$93,910	$128,700
South Dakota	680	$74,770	$88,390	$109,270
Oklahoma	4,320	$62,300	$86,630	$125,130
Arkansas	2,760	$68,090	$86,330	$107,410
Louisiana	5,080	$63,470	$83,360	$123,320
North Carolina	11,220	$63,240	$83,180	$121,380
Mississippi	3,170	$65,400	$82,800	$106,450
West Virginia	1,480	$57,740	$80,650	$97,350

51 states with published estimates.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Not yet collected

These dimensions are part of every job page. We publish them only once they are sourced from official documents such as job postings, pay plans, union contracts and state standards.

05 Probation
Probation length and what ends it
Not yet collected
09 Benefits and pension
Pension plan/tier and formula, retirement age/years, DROP, retiree health, Social Security coverage, 457(b), PSLF eligibility
Not yet collected
10 Union contracts
Bargaining unit, union, current CBA (source link, effective dates)
Not yet collected
11 Transfers and lateral entry
Lateral policy, certification reciprocity, lateral bonus, inter-agency moves
Not yet collected
14 Exam practice
Named exams → OpenExamPrep practice
Not yet collected

Assistant Principal

Overview

Titles employers use

Requirements

Education workers say the job requires

How to get hired

Academy and training

Promotion ladder

Pay

Schedule

Day-to-day work

Related jobs

Employer directory

By state

Not yet collected