School administrator salaries vary depending on the role, district size and state, so two administrators with similar titles can end up with very different paychecks. Compensation typically starts lower for assistant principals just entering school leadership and climbs sharply for superintendents running entire districts. In between is the principal role, which is the most common benchmark.
Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) offers an online Master of Science (M.S.) in Educational Administration program designed for Texas teachers looking to move from the classroom into school leadership roles such as principal or assistant principal. This guide will help you understand where each administrator role fits along the pay scale and what qualifications you’ll need to qualify for the role you’re targeting.
How Much Does a School Administrator Make?
The median annual salary for a school administrator in 2024 was $104,070, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which tracks pay for elementary, middle and high school principals. The lowest-paid 10 percent in that group earned a median annual wage of less than $72,400, while the highest-paid 10 percent earned a median of $165,820. On a monthly basis, the median works out to roughly $8,672 before taxes, a useful benchmark for anyone comparing a principal role against a district-level or assistant administrator position.
The average pay for school administrators shifts based on role, years of experience and the size of a district’s budget, so the national median is only a starting point. Salary levels for education administrators also vary by state. Texas administrators typically earn near the national median. However, districts in major metro areas such as Houston, Dallas and San Antonio often pay above it. Larger districts and higher grade levels also tend to offer the strongest pay, since those campuses have larger staffs, larger budgets and more complex operations for an administrator to manage.
School Administrator Salary by Role
Pay differs significantly depending on the administrator title, even though assistant principals, principals and superintendents all fall under the broad label of “school administrator.” Each step up the ladder carries a higher salary and a wider scope of responsibility, from supporting one campus to overseeing an entire district’s budget and staff. The three sections below break down what each role typically pays and how the jobs differ day to day.
Assistant Principal
Assistant principals support building principals with daily operations, discipline, scheduling and other tasks that keep a single campus running smoothly. Because they report to the principal rather than run the campus themselves, their pay typically starts below the principal median, reflecting a narrower scope of authority.
Growth in this role depends heavily on the district’s pay scale and on how many years of leadership experience an assistant principal has built up. Many assistant principals use the role as a proving ground, moving into a full principal position once they have demonstrated they can manage a campus independently.
School Principal
School principals set the standard for administrator pay, with a 2024 median salary of $104,070 nationally, according to BLS. That figure covers principals at every school level, from elementary campuses to large comprehensive high schools.
High school principals often earn more than their elementary school counterparts, largely because of the size and complexity of the campuses they run. A typical high school has more staff, more course offerings and more extracurricular programs than an elementary school, and that larger scope of responsibility tends to show up in the paycheck.
Superintendent
The School Superintendents Association (AASA) tracks superintendent compensation nationwide through its annual Superintendent Salary & Benefits Study. The 2025-26 edition, based on nearly 2,000 superintendent responses across 49 states, puts the average superintendent salary at $178,111 a year.
Superintendent pay varies sharply by district size and budget, and it typically tops the principal median by a wide margin. The job carries a much broader scope of responsibility — managing the district budget, negotiating with the school board and setting policy for every campus — and the pay reflects that added weight.
Do School Administrators Make More Than Teachers?
Yes. School administrators earn substantially more than classroom teachers, with median principal pay outpacing median teacher pay by roughly $40,000 a year. BLS data shows median annual pay for classroom teachers in 2024 ranged from about $61,430 for kindergarten teachers to $64,580 for high school teachers, well below the $104,070 median for principals. That gap holds up across grade levels, whether you compare principal pay to elementary, middle or high school teacher pay.
Senior classroom teachers with years of experience and advanced certifications can close some of that gap through stipends, leadership pay or extended contracts. Even so, the move from the classroom into a principal or assistant principal role still represents a real, meaningful pay increase for most educators. That jump is one of the main reasons many veteran teachers pursue principal certification after several years in the classroom.
What Is the Best Degree for a School Administrator?
A master’s degree is the standard entry point for a school administrator, paired with state-specific leadership certification. Most states require a graduate degree plus an administrator certificate before hiring someone into a principal role, and Texas is no exception. The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), the most recognized professional organization for elementary and middle-level principals, offers learning resources many aspiring administrators use throughout their preparation.
In Texas, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) lists five requirements for a principal certificate, including a master’s degree, a valid teaching certificate, at least two years of classroom teaching experience and a state-approved principal preparation program. TAMIU’s fully online M.S. in Educational Administration program gives educators the flexibility to work toward principal certification while they continue to teach.
Is It Hard to Become a School Administrator?
Becoming a school administrator is achievable, but it takes time and a defined set of credentials. There is no shortcut around the experience requirement. Most Texas educators spend several years as classroom teachers, meeting TEA’s two-year minimum and often well beyond it, before they step into a leadership role. From there, the path runs through a master’s degree in educational administration, a state-approved preparation program and the required certification exam.
The Wallace Foundation finds that high-quality principal preparation is linked to better outcomes for principals, teachers and students alike, including stronger student achievement and higher teacher retention. That rigor is part of the reason the role pays what it does. The stronger your preparation, the better your prospects tend to be, both in the results you produce as a leader and in your long-term career earnings.
Take the next step toward school leadership with the online M.S. in Educational Administration from TAMIU, your path to principal certification.
About TAMIU’s Online M.S. in Educational Administration Program
TAMIU’s online M.S. in Educational Administration program prepares working educators for school leadership roles in Texas, and for the certification exams Principal 268 and Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL). Delivered in accelerated 7-week courses with six start dates a year, the program can be completed in as few as 10 months and includes a hands-on practicum across elementary, middle and high school settings.
TAMIU is a member of the Texas A&M University System and is located in Laredo, Texas. The university’s College of Education offers a range of online graduate programs designed for working teachers pursuing school leadership roles.
