K-12 administration
School Principal
Every problem in the building eventually arrives at your door.
Typical pay
$85k-$140k
How you get in
Master's in educational leadership plus teaching experience
Outlook
Steady; principal turnover keeps roles open
Very few openings
82/100Very few openings relative to the size of this field, and the field is flat.
JobPOVs index, calculated from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025-2035 for Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary. It measures how many openings arise each year relative to the size of the field — not how many people apply. BLS does not publish a saturation figure.
Principals lead a school — staffing, instruction, discipline, budget and families. The job is far less about educational vision than most new principals expect and far more about crisis management and personnel.
A day in the life
6:45a – 6:00p · 11 hours 15 min
- 6:45aWalk the building, greet buses and staff
- 8:00aCover a classroom because a sub never showed
- 10:00aTeacher observation and feedback
- 12:00pLunch duty, then a discipline conference
- 2:00pBudget meeting and staffing decisions
- 6:00pEvening event, board meeting or parent night
How to get in
Teacher to administrator
Duration
7-10 years total
Cost
$15,000-$50,000 for the master's
Credential
Administrative or principal license
- Teach for the years your state requires, usually three to five
- Complete a master's in educational leadership
- Pass your state's administrator licensure exam
- Take an assistant principal role first — almost nobody starts as principal
Instructional coach or dean route
Duration
6-9 years total
Cost
$15,000-$50,000
Credential
Administrative license
- Move from teaching into instructional coaching or a dean of students role
- Build leadership experience without leaving the building
- Complete the administrative credential concurrently
- Move to assistant principal with a leadership track record
Doctorate for district leadership
Duration
3-5 years after the master's
Cost
$30,000-$100,000
Credential
EdD or PhD in educational leadership
- Serve as a principal for several years
- Complete an EdD, often part-time and district-supported
- Move into director, assistant superintendent or superintendent roles
- Required for most superintendent positions
What people love
- · Real influence over a whole school culture
- · Significant pay increase over teaching
- · Administrative pension tiers are strong
- · Path to district leadership
What wears people down
- · Accountable for everything, including what you cannot control
- · Evenings and weekends are part of the role
- · Caught between teachers, parents and the district
- · Turnover is high and burnout is common