Principals in U.S. Public Schools—Results from National Survey

There were more than 90,000 principals leading U.S. public schools in 2015-16, who, on average, worked 58.6 hours per week and earned an annual salary of $95,700, according to a report released today. The National Center for Education Statistics released Characteristics of Public Elementary and Secondary School Principals in the United States: Results From the 2015–16 National Teacher and Principal Survey. The 2015–16 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) is a nationally representative sample survey of public K–12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. This First Look report provides tables containing descriptive information regarding principals in public schools. Key findings in the report include: Key findings from the report include: • During the 2015–16 school year, there were an estimated 90,400 public school principals of K–12 schools in the United States. A majority of these principals (78 percent) were non-Hispanic White and 11 percent were non-Hispanic Black. About 8 percent of the principals were Hispanic and 3 percent were another race/ethnicity; • Overall, 54 percent of public school principals were female. Relatively more primary school principals were female (68 percent) than were middle, high, or combined school principals (40 percent, 33 percent, and 42 percent, respectively); • The average annual salary of public school principals was $95,700. Public school principals in high schools earned more ($101,200) than their peers in middle schools ($98,000), primary schools ($94,600) and combined schools ($86,500); and • On average, principals spent about 30 percent of their time on internal administrative tasks, 30 percent of their time on curriculum and teaching-related tasks, 23 percent of their time on student interactions, and 14 percent of their time on parent interactions.