School Superintendent Salary

The average salary for a School Superintendent is $116,537.

10%

50%

90%

MEDIAN $116,537

Salary

$82k - $183k

Bonus

$2k - $21k

Profit Sharing

$3k - $10k

Total Pay

$83k - $187k

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Job Description for School Superintendent

A school superintendent is the head administrator of a school system. These professionals normally answer to the school board and are hired by that body; they also can be fired or dismissed by the school board. Superintendents are in charge of hiring principals for all schools in their district, and they have final say on dismissing teachers or disciplining employees. This job also requires the superintendent to work with the local school board to develop and maintain the yearly district budget.…Read more

School Superintendent Tasks

Oversee district staffing, recruit personnel, plan and carry out staff evaluations, and administer HR programs and policies.
Work with the school board to develop and put into action a district's policies, vision, and goals.
Meet with school administrators, teachers, parents, and the community to discuss and implement district goals.
Prepare the school district budget, ensure expenditures stay within school board limits, and develop procedures for approving expenditures.
Manage school property, buildings, and infrastructure, monitor building maintenance, renovation, and construction.

Career Paths

Explore the most common career paths for School Superintendent. Thickness and color of lines indicates popularity of movement from one job to the next. Visit our career path planner to research other job paths.

School Superintendent

Executive Director

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Education Administrator, Elementary and ...

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Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Non-Profi...

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More common (> 20%)

Somewhat common (8 - 20%)

Less common (< 8%)

School Superintendent Job Listings

Popular Skills for School Superintendent

Leadership

$116,180

78 responses

Strategic Planning

$116,519

48 responses

Operations Management

$111,891

32 responses

Curriculum Planning

$123,710

26 responses

Team Leadership

$111,233

25 responses

Skills in Curriculum Planning are correlated to pay that is above average. Skills that pay less than market rate include Team Leadership, Operations Management, Strategic Planning and Leadership.

Pay by Experience Level for School Superintendent

An entry-level School Superintendent with less than 1 year experience can expect to earn an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of $110,645 based on 6 salaries. An early career School Superintendent with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $102,844 based on 60 salaries. A mid-career School Superintendent with 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $121,322 based on 51 salaries. An experienced School Superintendent with 10-19 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $117,483 based on 101 salaries. In their late career (20 years and higher), employees earn an average total compensation of $127,815.

Pay Difference by Location

Learn more about cost of living by city.

Los Angeles, California

▲24%

Chicago, Illinois

▲21%

New York, New York

▲7%

Dallas, Texas

▼14%

Employees with School Superintendent in their job title in Los Angeles, California earn an average of 24.4% more than the national average. These job titles also find higher than average salaries in Chicago, Illinois (20.8% more) and New York, New York (7.3% more). The lowest salaries can be found in Dallas, Texas (14.2% less).