School Principal Salary in 2027: Pay by State and Experience

How Much Does a School Principal Make in 2027?

A school principal makes a median of $105,870 a year in 2027, or about $50.90 an hour, on the May 2025 federal wage survey. The salary range runs from $76,280 at the 10th percentile to $167,770 at the 90th, with median pay of $105,870 between them.

The median school principal salary is $105,870, which means half of all principals earn more and half earn less. The BLS pairs it with a mean of $116,100, higher because a cluster of very large paychecks pulls the average up, and the category covers 328,330 people. The hourly equivalent of $50.90 is a convenience figure, since principals are salaried and do not track hours the way an hourly worker does.

The middle of the field is wide. A gap of $91,490 separates the 10th percentile from the 90th, and it comes from geography, district wealth, school size and years in the job. A first-year principal in a small rural district sits at the low end, and a veteran running a large high school in a wealthy suburb sits at the high end.

Which States Pay School Principals the Most in 2027?

School principals earn the most in Washington, at $166,590, and the least in West Virginia, at $80,650, across 50 states and the District of Columbia in the May 2025 survey.

Among the states and the District of Columbia, the best-paying places for school principals are Washington at $166,590, California at $159,950, Connecticut at $156,240, New York at $138,830, the District of Columbia at $137,470 and New Jersey at $137,440. The lowest medians belong to West Virginia at $80,650, Mississippi at $82,800, North Carolina at $83,180 and Louisiana at $83,360, and the distance from the top to the bottom is roughly double.

Those medians need a cost-of-living check before they mean much. A $166,590 salary in Washington stretches far less than the raw figure suggests once housing, taxes and daily expenses count, while a figure near $80,650 in West Virginia buys a good deal more house at a lower tax bill. Read the map of principal pay alongside living costs and local school funding, which differ widely from state to state.

The survey also reports Virgin Islands at $80,910 and Puerto Rico at $80,130 for school principals, but Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are territories, not states, so they sit outside the ranking above.

How Does a School Principal's Salary Change With Experience?

A school principal's salary rises with experience and with the size of the building a principal moves to. The BLS does not publish pay by years in the job, so the percentiles frame the range: the $76,280 that marks the lowest-paid tenth, the $105,870 median and the $167,770 that marks the top tenth. A newly appointed principal, often promoted from assistant principal, is more likely to sit toward the bottom, and veterans leading large secondary schools in well-funded districts are more likely to reach the top.

About three of every four principals work in public schools, so pay often follows an administrator schedule set by the district. Those schedules reward years of service and, in some places, added credentials such as a doctorate, and they can leave more room for individual negotiation than the classic teacher grid. A move to a larger school or a richer district can bring a bigger jump than another year in the same seat, so changing buildings is one of the faster ways to a raise.

How Does a School Principal's Pay Compare With Other Education Careers?

School principal is the top-paying career among the education jobs we cover, which makes it the usual destination for people who build a career inside K-12 schools. The premium over a classroom job likely reflects a longer year, supervision of an entire staff and the master's degree and, in most public schools, the state license that come with the role. A principal's median pay of $105,870 sits well above the $72,040 median pay for high school teachers and the $77,440 median for instructional coordinators.

What Do Salary Websites Say a School Principal Earns?

Private salary sites put a school principal's pay between $84,590 at Indeed and $153,207 at Glassdoor, bracketing the BLS median of $105,870. The widest gap comes from what each figure counts: the highest number is labeled median total pay, which folds in bonuses and extra pay, while the others describe base pay or an unspecified average.

What Drives a School Principal's Pay?

A school principal's pay is driven by four things: the calendar, the school, the district and the sector. The calendar comes first: the BLS says principals typically work year round and do not have summers off, even when students are not in school, and the longer year is part of what the salary pays for. The second is the school itself. Enrollment, grade level and sector all count, so a principal of a large secondary school with athletics, graduation and college placement to manage can be paid on a higher rung than the head of a small elementary school.

The third is the district. Well-funded suburban and large urban systems can pay administrators more than rural ones, while rural principals often cover more ground with fewer assistant principals and central-office staff. The fourth is sector. Public schools often publish an administrator schedule with predictable raises, while private and charter schools set their own pay, and some elite independent schools pay their heads very well.

How Can a School Principal Earn More?

A school principal can raise a salary by moving to a larger school, a higher-paying district or state, a doctorate, a district-level role or a documented record of results. Five moves do most of the work.

• Move to a Larger School or a Secondary Level. Administrator scales often reward size and complexity, so a step from a small elementary building to a large middle or high school is one of the most direct raises available.
• Change Districts or States. The best-paying state's median is about double the lowest, so a move from a low-paying state to Washington, California or the Northeast can lift pay substantially. Even inside one metro area, a wealthier district with a richer administrator schedule can beat waiting for annual steps.
• Earn a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Some administrator schedules add a stipend or a lane for an Ed.D. or Ph.D., and a doctorate can help in a bid for central-office and superintendent jobs that pay more.
• Advance Toward District Administration. A step from principal to director, assistant superintendent or superintendent generally raises pay again, and the principalship is the standard proving ground for those positions.
• Build a Record of Measurable Results. Where administrator pay is negotiated on top of a base schedule, documented gains in test scores, graduation rates or a turnaround give a principal real leverage when moving to a better-funded building.

The master's degree that opens the job in the first place is covered in the school principal career guide, and the educational leadership ranking compares the fully online programs that lead to it.