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What does an Assistant Principal do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

An assistant principal is responsible for carrying out administrative support tasks in a school or similar establishment. Most of the duties involve producing reports and evaluations, attending meetings, overseeing daily school operations, monitoring classes and faculty performances, implementing school policies and regulations, and coordinating with the principal, school board, and other members of the institution. Furthermore, an assistant principal participates in devising plans and strategies to improve the school curriculum and organize various activities that will help students develop their skills and potential.

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Assistant principal responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real assistant principal resumes:

  • Lead the NCA steering committee to assist with the school improvement process.
  • Create and manage projects that are research base to improve student success in the areas of mathematics for ESL students.
  • Manage special education department budget, student programming and IEP accommodations.
  • Conduct CSE and annual review meetings.
  • Plan, control, and direct the overall activities for students in grade Pre-K - 8th grade.
  • Coordinate RtI interventions and implementation at secondary level.
  • Conduct curriculum reviews in both mathematics and natural science.
  • Improve administrative communication with special education department to ensure IEP and SST compliance.
  • Select literature for the centralized music library to meet the multicultural education standards.
  • Provide injury management, rehabilitation, and taping to prevent further injury of athletes.
  • Formulate an understanding of the concepts of communication and ethics in a simulate on-the-job/academicsetting.
  • Provide leadership for and share responsibility for the development and implementation of staff in-service programs.
  • Collaborate with universities and community colleges to develop, implement, and maintain articulation agreements.
  • Implement content lessons with a focus on behavior modification, social engagement, and rehabilitation.
  • Teach basic and advance composition, professional writing, literature, and developmental education courses.

Assistant principal skills and personality traits

We calculated that 8% of Assistant Principals are proficient in Classroom Management, Curriculum Development, and Professional Development. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Decision-making skills, and Leadership skills.

We break down the percentage of Assistant Principals that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Classroom Management, 8%

    Attend a variety of professional development workshops centered on learning goals, classroom management, student motivation and engaging learning activities.

  • Curriculum Development, 8%

    Lead curriculum development activities and identified curricular and extracurricular needs by analyzing current programs and student achievement.

  • Professional Development, 7%

    Designed faculty technology professional development.

  • Instructional Program, 5%

    Provide leadership for innovative curricular/instructional program development.

  • Math, 4%

    Led cross-grade/curricular level meetings between elementary and middle school Math staff.

  • Student Achievement, 4%

    Worked collaboratively with stakeholders to develop coordinate, and implement intervention and support programs to increase student achievement.

Common skills that an assistant principal uses to do their job include "classroom management," "curriculum development," and "professional development." You can find details on the most important assistant principal responsibilities below.

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for an assistant principal to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what assistant principals do because "principals must communicate effectively with students, teachers, and parents." Additionally, an assistant principal resume shows how assistant principals use communication skills: "mentored and guided new employees through ongoing observations, professional development and continuous communications. "

Decision-making skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling assistant principal duties is decision-making skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "because principals are responsible for students, staff, and the overall operation of the school, they consider many factors when making decisions." According to an assistant principal resume, here's how assistant principals can utilize decision-making skills in their job responsibilities: "established professional learning communities for school faculty to promote professional development and group problem resolution in a focus group setting. "

Leadership skills. This is an important skill for assistant principals to perform their duties. For an example of how assistant principal responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "principals set educational goals and establish policies and procedures for the school." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an assistant principal: "discipline supervisor spearheaded a leadership team for rti implemented an alternative behavioral educational program for students who are assigned to pass. ".

Interpersonal skills. A big part of what assistant principals do relies on "interpersonal skills." You can see how essential it is to assistant principal responsibilities because "principals work with teachers, parents, and superintendents and must develop positive working relationships with them." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical assistant principal tasks: "counseled students in improving academic performance, health and interpersonal relations. "

Problem-solving skills. A commonly-found skill in assistant principal job descriptions, "problem-solving skills" is essential to what assistant principals do. Assistant principal responsibilities rely on this skill because "teachers, students, and other staff report problems to the principal." You can also see how assistant principal duties rely on problem-solving skills in this resume example: "assisted in conducting staff meetings to discuss policy changes, instructional programs, potential problems and resolution of existing problems. "

Most common assistant principal skills

The three companies that hire the most assistant principals are:

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Compare different assistant principals

Assistant principal vs. Chairperson

A chairperson is responsible for managing the overall business team, ensuring everyone's compliance with the company's strategies and processes to reach the highest business goals and objectives. A chairperson's duties also include monitoring the staff's performance, analyzing the committee's performance and decisions, providing reports and updates during meetings, improving the current policies and procedures as necessary, and facilitating committee's programs and special events. A chairperson must have excellent leadership and communication skills to lead the team towards its organizational success.

If we compare the average assistant principal annual salary with that of a chairperson, we find that chairpeople typically earn a $52,337 higher salary than assistant principals make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both assistant principal and chairperson positions are skilled in curriculum development, professional development, and mathematics.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an assistant principal are more likely to require skills like "classroom management," "instructional program," "math," and "student achievement." On the other hand, a job as a chairperson requires skills like "alumni," "scholarship," "strategic plan," and "community outreach." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Chairpeople earn the highest salaries when working in the finance industry, with an average yearly salary of $122,813. On the other hand, assistant principals are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $72,714.The education levels that chairpeople earn slightly differ from assistant principals. In particular, chairpeople are 29.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an assistant principal. Additionally, they're 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Assistant principal vs. School director

A school director oversees educational programs, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. They typically gather and analyze data, review reports, monitor faculty staff's performance and the progress of all teaching methods, and resolve issues should any arise. They usually work together with the teaching staff to research and develop educational curricula and programs, participate in hiring educators, and supervise staff. Moreover, a school director leads and encourages the workforce to reach goals while implementing the school's policies and regulations, developing new ones when necessary.

A career as a school director brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of an assistant principal. In fact, school directors salary is $5,044 lower than the salary of assistant principals per year.A few skills overlap for assistant principals and school directors. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "classroom management," "curriculum development," and "professional development. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real assistant principal resumes. While assistant principal responsibilities can utilize skills like "instructional program," "professional growth," "student learning," and "data analysis," school directors use skills like "k-12," "social work," "kids," and "develop strong relationships."

On average, school directors earn a lower salary than assistant principals. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, school directors earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $62,751. Whereas assistant principals have higher pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $72,714.In general, school directors achieve lower levels of education than assistant principals. They're 21.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Assistant principal vs. Superintendent

Superintendents oversee the administration of schools in a specific school district. They manage the educational programs of each school and create strategic decisions to ensure that the students are learning important subjects. They also supervise school administrators or principals and are responsible for hiring and guiding them. Superintendents should be familiar with their constituents and must always be ready to listen to their needs. It is important that superintendents are good decision-makers and communicators. They are expected to lead their respective districts in achieving their vision. Superintendents drive the team towards their goals and create strategic steps to ensure success.

On average scale, superintendents bring in higher salaries than assistant principals. In fact, they earn a $8,851 higher salary per year.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an assistant principal is likely to be skilled in "classroom management," "curriculum development," "instructional program," and "math," while a typical superintendent is skilled in "osha," "quality standards," "construction management," and "logistics."

Superintendents earn the highest salary when working in the construction industry, where they receive an average salary of $85,679. Comparatively, assistant principals have the highest earning potential in the government industry, with an average salary of $72,714.Most superintendents achieve a lower degree level compared to assistant principals. For example, they're 36.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Assistant principal vs. School superintendent

A school superintendent leads and oversees a school district, working with school leaders to ensure that operations run smoothly and efficiently according to standards and regulations. They are primarily in charge of establishing short and long-term goals, developing strategies to meet them. They are also responsible for supervising the employment procedures, selecting the ideal resources to support the students' and schools' needs, monitoring operations, and solving issues and concerns when any arise. Moreover, a school superintendent has the authority to make significant decisions while adhering to the district's vision and mission.

School superintendents typically earn higher pay than assistant principals. On average, school superintendents earn a $19,734 higher salary per year.According to resumes from assistant principals and school superintendents, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "curriculum development," "professional development," and "student achievement. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. An assistant principal uses "classroom management," "instructional program," "math," and "student discipline." School superintendents are more likely to have duties that require skills in "k-12," "elementary schools," "pre-k," and "strategic plan. "school superintendents reach lower levels of education compared to assistant principals, in general. The difference is that they're 16.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 6.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of assistant principal

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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