Teaching Profession News in Brief

Survey Finds Principals’ Pay Gains Outpacing Consumer Price Index

By Ann Bradley — March 11, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Principals of high schools and middle schools got “a little financial breathing room” this school year, with salary increases that matched or exceeded the U.S. Consumer Price Index, according to a survey by the Educational Research Service.

For the 2007-08 school year, the average salary paid to a high school principal is 4.9 percent higher than last school year, the survey found. That compares to a 2.8 percent increase in the CPI, a federal measure that is often used to estimate increases in the cost of living.

Increases were also better than the CPI for the other three major categories of school leaders examined: junior high/ middle school principals, and assistant principals in both middle and high schools.

See Also

“Salaries and Wages Paid Professional and Support Personnel in Public Schools” is available for purchase at www.ers.org.

The research service, which is based in Alexandria, Va., and made up of representatives of major national associations representing school administrators, has surveyed public school districts on their professional and support employees’ pay since 1973. It randomly selects a stratified sample of school districts of varying enrollment size.

For junior high and middle school principals, the average salary for 2007-08 is $91,334. For senior high school principals, the average is $97,486. The average salaries of assistant principals for this school year are $76,053 at the junior high and middle school level and $79,391 at the high school level.

Average Salaries

An annual survey tracks the salaries of middle and high school principals.

BRIC ARCHIVE

SOURCE: Educational Research Service

The survey found that salaries varied by geographic area, with administrators in the West, Midwest, and New England having the highest pay and those in the Southwest and Rocky Mountains the lowest. The size of a school district also affects how much school leaders earn: Principals in districts with more than 2,500 students make more than $100,000, on average, while those in districts smaller than 2,500 students make about 20 percent less.

The survey also looked at how much districts spend per pupil, finding that those spending more than $10,000 per student pay higher salaries than districts that spend less.

A version of this article appeared in the March 12, 2008 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
From Classrooms to Careers: How Schools and Districts Can Prepare Students for a Changing Workforce
Real careers start in school. Learn how Alton High built student-centered, job-aligned pathways.
Content provided by TNTP
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Profession Opinion What Teachers Need to Know About Navigating Political Turmoil
Educators share guidance on how to deal with the present moment.
1 min read
Photo of U.S. Capitol building.
Education Week + Getty
Teaching Profession Want to Teach in Oklahoma? You May Have to Prove You're Not 'Woke'
The state is partnering with PragerU to develop an assessment for incoming educators.
3 min read
Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters holds his hand over his heart during the National Anthem at inauguration ceremonies on Jan. 9, 2023, in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters holds his hand over his heart during the National Anthem at inauguration ceremonies on Jan. 9, 2023, in Oklahoma City. Walters announced plans for a new test to screen teachers from states considered “woke.”
Sue Ogrocki/AP
Teaching Profession ‘You Can Lead Now’: Inside the NEA’s Plan to Engage New Teachers
In an aging workforce, the nation's largest teachers' union seeks ways to engage younger educators.
3 min read
Em DePriest of Kansas speaks on behalf of a proposal to create an early career teacher working group. Members of the National Education Association's Aspiring Educators Program move to bring an initiative to a vote during the NEA Representative Assembly in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2025.
Em DePriest, a teacher in Kansas, speaks in favor of a proposal to create an early-career teacher working group. Members of the National Education Association's Aspiring Educators program moved to bring the initiative to a vote during the NEA representative assembly in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2025.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Teaching Profession Can the National Education Association Win Over Republican Members?
Union leaders seek common ground with conservative teachers while managing an active, mostly liberal membership.
5 min read
The National Education Association's Republic Educators Caucus tabled at the NEA Representative Assembly on July 4, 2025, in Portland, Ore
The National Education Association's Republican Educators Caucus had a table at the NEA representative assembly on July 4, 2025, in Portland, Ore. The national teachers' union has been working to engage conservative teachers and communities.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week