Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
Also called: Assessment Coordinator, Athletic Coordinator, Athletic Director, Curriculum and Instruction Superintendent, Curriculum Director, Educational Program Director, Elementary Principal, Elementary School Principal
Plan, direct, or coordinate the academic, administrative, or auxiliary activities of kindergarten, elementary, or secondary schools.
What education administrators, kindergarten through secondary do
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Observe teaching methods and examine learning materials to evaluate and standardize curricula and teaching techniques and to determine areas for improvement.
- Determine the scope of educational program offerings, and prepare drafts of course schedules and descriptions to estimate staffing and facility requirements.
- Enforce discipline and attendance rules.
- Recruit, hire, train, and evaluate primary and supplemental staff.
- Collaborate with teachers to develop and maintain curriculum standards, develop mission statements, and set performance goals and objectives.
- Set educational standards and goals, and help establish policies and procedures to carry them out.
- Evaluate curricula, teaching methods, and programs to determine their effectiveness, efficiency, and use, and to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
- Plan and lead professional development activities for teachers, administrators, and support staff.
- Create school improvement plans, using student performance data.
- Determine allocations of funds for staff, supplies, materials, and equipment, and authorize purchases.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary salary
The median annual wage for education administrators, kindergarten through secondary is $105,870 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $76,280 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $167,770. The mean annual wage is $116,100.
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $105,870 → in 3 years $115,100 → in 5 years $121,700 → in 10 years $139,900 (10-year range $120,400–$162,500). The model assumes pay growth of +2.8% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
Skills, education and requirements for Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 5 — extensive preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★★★☆ Demanding (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.