Management · Career brief

Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

$105,870

High national median pay

2025 national median. Top quarter for pay among careers on ChooseField.

2Demand

-0.3%

Projected employment decline

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Below the middle of ChooseField careers for growth.

3Openings

20,600

Lots of annual openings

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Top quarter for openings among careers on ChooseField.

4Route in

Master's degree

Long formal preparation is part of the path

Master's degree + related experience. Related work experience is typically required.

5The work

People-centered

Helping, teaching, or working directly with people matters

Counsel and provide guidance to students regarding personal, academic, vocational, or behavioral issues.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

ChooseField take

The strongest national signals are pay and opening volume; each ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if people-centered work appeals to you and you are comfortable with a master's-degree path. Main tradeoff: BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

Before choosing, compare:Education Administrators, Postsecondary General and Operations Managers Industrial Production Managers

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary with another field Explore rankings in Management Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

National median pay (2025)

$105,870

A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.

2025–2035 outlook

-0.3%employment growth20,600openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

Master's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

343,800

Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary (11-9032).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

Counsel and provide guidance to students regarding personal, academic, vocational, or behavioral issues.
Confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities, policies, and student behavior or learning problems.
Determine the scope of educational program offerings, and prepare drafts of course schedules and descriptions to estimate staffing and facility requirements.
Observe teaching methods and examine learning materials to evaluate and standardize curricula and teaching techniques and to determine areas for improvement.

Decision-changing realities

What could make this a poor fit

BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.
BLS projects employment to shrink 0.3% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.9
Training and Teaching Others4.8
Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.7
Developing and Building Teams4.6

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Social5.7
Enterprising5.3
Conventional4.7
Investigative3.1
Artistic2.8
Realistic1.3

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Mathematics Personnel and Human Resources Computers and Electronics

Software and tools named in job postings

Student information systems SIS software

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Work through a realistic case with incomplete information: make a recommendation, show the numbers behind it, and defend the tradeoffs.
Ask someone doing this job which feeder role built the required experience, what that earlier job paid, and how long the transition actually took.

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

Pay and demand: reading the benchmark

The pay and outlook figures describe Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary nationally. They do not establish the salary or number of vacancies available in your area.

Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.

Before choosing a program

O*NET lists Speaking, Active Listening, Learning Strategies among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions. Examples of tools used in the occupation include Student information systems SIS software; check which ones employers near you actually require.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?

Prior related experience: 5 years or more. Look for the preceding roles and promotion route before treating this as a first job.

What should I check before paying for training?

Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.

Adjacent options