Pennsylvania·Management Occupations·SOC 11-9032

Best Education Administrator, Kindergarten through Secondary programs in Pennsylvania, ranked by enrollment

Plan, direct, or coordinate the academic, administrative, or auxiliary activities of kindergarten, elementary, or secondary.

45 schools in Pennsylvania run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,351 people a year. The job pays a median of $118,710 in Pennsylvania across about 14,460 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledPrincipalSuperintendentElementary PrincipalMiddle School Principal (MS Principal)HeadmasterVice PrincipalMother SuperiorAcademic Advisor
Graduates / yr
1,351
in Pennsylvania
Median pay · Pennsylvania
$118,710
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
14,460
people employed
Schools
45
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
64%
across those schools
Median net price
$25,402
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Pennsylvania that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

6 programs in Pennsylvania that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Pennsylvania (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Pennsylvania page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
11,060
78.5%
42$37,480$23,000
2102
7.5%
7$37,480$23,000
383
6.1%
3$37,480$23,000
464
4.7%
9$37,480$23,000
534
2.5%
3$37,480$23,000
68
0.6%
1$37,480$23,000

Top 25 schools in Pennsylvania

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 3 of the 45 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Point Park University
Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
195Educational Leadership and Administration, General$78,43059%$23,70497%
2University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
116Educational Leadership and Administration, General97%$22,0555%
3Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
108Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship63%$27,08291%
4Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
106Educational Leadership and Administration, General79%$34,41889%
5Immaculata University
Immaculata, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
87Educational Leadership and Administration, General71%$26,94186%
6Pennsylvania Western University
California, PA Public · 2 feeder programs
86Educational Leadership and Administration, General52%94%
7Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
82Educational Leadership and Administration, General78%$36,00479%
8West Chester University of Pennsylvania
West Chester, PA Public · 2 feeder programs
68Educational Leadership and Administration, General71%78%
9Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
43Educational Leadership and Administration, General57%$25,84390%
10University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
Pittsburgh, PA Public · 2 feeder programs
42Educational Leadership and Administration, General85%58%
11Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, PA Public · 2 feeder programs
39Educational Leadership and Administration, General56%91%
12Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
36Educational Leadership and Administration, General61%$12,16371%
13Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
34Educational Leadership and Administration, General54%93%
14Delaware Valley University
Doylestown, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
34Educational Leadership and Administration, General56%$25,40293%
15Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
33Educational Leadership and Administration, General88%$26,91226%
16Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Slippery Rock, PA Public · 2 feeder programs
26Secondary School Administration/Principalship66%71%
17Gannon University
Erie, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
18Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision66%$21,40974%
18Arcadia University
Glenside, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
16Educational Leadership and Administration, General67%$23,79680%
19Eastern University
Saint Davids, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
16Educational Leadership and Administration, General54%$25,14691%
20Robert Morris University
Moon Township, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
16Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship66%$24,17590%
21Gratz College
Jenkintown, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
15Educational Leadership and Administration, General
22Neumann University
Aston, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
15Educational Leadership and Administration, General54%$28,75381%
23Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Shippensburg, PA Public · 2 feeder programs
13Educational Leadership and Administration, General56%87%
24Temple University
Philadelphia, PA Public · 2 feeder programs
13Educational Leadership and Administration, General75%80%
25Pennsylvania State University - World Campus
University Park, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
11Educational Leadership and Administration, General$100,73734%91%

All 45 schools in Pennsylvania

Every school in Pennsylvania with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Pennsylvania that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Point Park UniversityPittsburghPrivate not-for-profit1952
University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPrivate not-for-profit1161
Wilkes UniversityWilkes-BarrePrivate not-for-profit1083
Saint Joseph's University - PhiladelphiaPhiladelphiaPrivate not-for-profit1062
Immaculata UniversityImmaculataPrivate not-for-profit871
Pennsylvania Western UniversityCaliforniaPublic862
Drexel UniversityPhiladelphiaPrivate not-for-profit823
West Chester University of PennsylvaniaWest ChesterPublic682
Gwynedd Mercy UniversityGwynedd ValleyPrivate not-for-profit433
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh CampusPittsburghPublic422
Indiana University of PennsylvaniaIndianaPublic392
Holy Family UniversityPhiladelphiaPrivate not-for-profit361
Commonwealth University of PennsylvaniaBloomsburgPublic341
Delaware Valley UniversityDoylestownPrivate not-for-profit342
Lehigh UniversityBethlehemPrivate not-for-profit331

What education administrators, kindergarten through secondary earn in Pennsylvania

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Pennsylvania
$118,710
Mean annual
$117,970
Jobs in state
14,460
What the range looks like
10th pct$78,490Median$118,71090th pct$161,140
Versus the national median
+12.1%

U.S. median $105,870. Pennsylvania pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
1.13×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Pennsylvania

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$129,130median
7,890 jobs
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
$122,700median
920 jobs
State College, PA
$123,640median
110 jobs
Lebanon, PA
$120,080median
120 jobs
York-Hanover, PA
$122,130median
380 jobs
Reading, PA
$109,050median
420 jobs
Lancaster, PA
$110,040median
460 jobs
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
$103,850median
820 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
-1.5%
Decline
Openings per year
20,800
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
-5,100
333,300 → 328,100
Typical entry education
Master's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary page.

How to become a Education Administrator, Kindergarten through Secondary

Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above
Typical entry education
Master's degree
Work experience needed
5 years or more

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Top skills

SpeakingActive ListeningLearning StrategiesReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingWriting

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Pennsylvania

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 7 majors mapped to Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 13.0401Educational Leadership and Administration, General
  • 13.0404Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision
  • 13.0408Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship
  • 13.0409Secondary School Administration/Principalship
  • 13.0411Superintendency and Educational System Administration
  • 13.0412International School Administration/Leadership
  • 13.0414Early Childhood Program Administration

Common questions

Answers for people weighing education administrators, kindergarten through secondary programs in Pennsylvania.

What degree do you need to become an Education Administrator, Kindergarten through Secondary?+

Master's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Educational Leadership and Administration, General, which awarded 1,060 degrees in Pennsylvania in 2024-25, 78.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming an Education Administrator, Kindergarten through Secondary?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Educational Administration and Supervision. Together they graduate about 1,351 people a year in Pennsylvania.

How much do education administrators, kindergarten through secondary earn in Pennsylvania?+

The median is $118,710 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 12.1% above the U.S. median of $105,870. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for education administrators, kindergarten through secondary growing?+

BLS projects a -1.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 20,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Pennsylvania?+

45 institutions in Pennsylvania reported graduates from at least one of the 6 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do education administrators, kindergarten through secondary work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Principal, Superintendent, Elementary Principal, Middle School Principal (MS Principal) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-9032.

Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary in other statesTexasIndianaNew YorkArizonaCaliforniaFloridaVirginiaMissouri

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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