Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship maps to BLS occupations averaging about $92,347, with roughly 2,396,640 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $10,240; common paths include Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education and Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School.
Key Statistics
Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship: what the data shows
Common questions about elementary and middle school administration/principalship degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a elementary and middle school administration/principalship degree?
A Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship program is classified under NCES CIP 13.0408 in the Educational Administration and Supervision field family (13.04).
A program that focuses on educational administration at the elementary and middle school (K-7) levels and prepares individuals to serve as principals and masters of elementary and middle schools. Includes instruction in elementary and/or middle school education, program and facilities planning, budgeting and administration, public relations, human resources management, childhood and pre-adolescent growth and development, counseling skills, applicable law and regulations, school safety, policy studies, and professional standards and ethics
IPEDS counted 189 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of elementary and middle school administration/principalship degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 13.04 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Administration of Special Education (CIP 13.0402)
- Adult and Continuing Education Administration (CIP 13.0403)
- Community College Administration (CIP 13.0407)
- Early Childhood Program Administration (CIP 13.0414)
- Education Entrepreneurship (CIP 13.0413)
- Educational Administration & Support (CIP 13.0401)
- Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision (CIP 13.0404)
- Higher Education/Higher Education Administration (CIP 13.0406)
- International School Administration/Leadership (CIP 13.0412)
- Secondary School Administration/Principalship (CIP 13.0409)
- Superintendency and Educational System Administration (CIP 13.0411)
- Urban Education and Leadership (CIP 13.0410)
How long does it take to get a elementary and middle school administration/principalship degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 13.0408 in our file:
- 189 Bachelor's (16.1% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 375 Master's (31.9% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 612 Doctorate (52.0% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a elementary and middle school administration/principalship degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education | — | — |
| Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School | 14,200 | $63,620 |
| Middle School Teachers | 620,370 | $62,970 |
| Elementary School Teachers | 1,393,310 | $62,340 |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | 382,960 | $58,570 |
| Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School | 104,450 | $63,910 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a elementary and middle school administration/principalship degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Educational Administration and Supervision bachelor's program family: median debt $12,928, median earnings $47,433 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.34.
About 4.3% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $10,240 and median net price is $18,551.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$10,240 Median In-State Public
$37,800 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship majors are, on average, $10,240 for in-state public colleges, and $37,800 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 2 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 3 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 4 | Western Governors University | UT | 155,088 |
| 5 | Western Governors University | UT | 155,088 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Bernardino Valley College | CA | $1,196 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Valley College | CA | $1,238 |
| 3 | Los Angeles City College | CA | $1,238 |
| 4 | Richmond Community College | NC | $1,956 |
| 5 | Davidson-Davie Community College | NC | $1,980 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas A&M University-Central Texas | TX | $1,300 |
| 2 | Gordon Cooper Technology Center | OK | $1,680 |
| 3 | Johnston Community College | NC | $1,776 |
| 4 | Oglala Lakota College | SD | $1,895 |
| 5 | Robeson Community College | NC | $2,892 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship is in OH (182 completions). That state represents about 96.3% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is OH (0.13% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| OH | 182 | 96.3% | 0.13% |
| GA | 7 | 3.7% | 0.01% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 13.04 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Administration of Special Education CIP 13.0402
- Adult and Continuing Education Administration CIP 13.0403
- Community College Administration CIP 13.0407
- Early Childhood Program Administration CIP 13.0414
- Education Entrepreneurship CIP 13.0413
- Educational Administration & Support CIP 13.0401
- Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision CIP 13.0404
- Higher Education/Higher Education Administration CIP 13.0406
- International School Administration/Leadership CIP 13.0412
- Secondary School Administration/Principalship CIP 13.0409
- Superintendency and Educational System Administration CIP 13.0411
- Urban Education and Leadership CIP 13.0410
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 13.0408 in the survey year used in our extract (1,176 total across levels below).
- 189 Bachelor's (16.1% of IPEDS total)
- 375 Master's (31.9% of IPEDS total)
- 612 Doctorate (52.0% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $92,347. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education | — | — |
| Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School | $65,133 | 14,200 |
| Middle School Teachers | $95,363 | 620,370 |
| Elementary School Teachers | $95,682 | 1,393,310 |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | $75,138 | 382,960 |
| Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School | $96,750 | 104,450 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Educational Administration and Supervision CIP family (12 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship graduate.
- $12,928 median federal loan debt among completers
- $47,433 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.34 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 4.3% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$92,317 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship majors is $92,317.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship majors.
Occupations by Share
2,396,640 2023 Workforce
The number of Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship.
Age distribution for Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
189 Total Degrees Awarded
18 Male (9.52%)
171 Female (90.48%)
Gender distribution of Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
155 White (82.01%)
12 Black or African American (6.35%)
7 Hispanic or Latino (3.70%)
4 Two or More Races (2.12%)
3 Asian (1.59%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship majors.
About
A program that focuses on educational administration at the elementary and middle school (K-7) levels and prepares individuals to serve as principals and masters of elementary and middle schools. Includes instruction in elementary and/or middle school education, program and facilities planning, budgeting and administration, public relations, human resources management, childhood and pre-adolescent growth and development, counseling skills, applicable law and regulations, school safety, policy studies, and professional standards and ethics
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship.
CIP Code
13.0408 - Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $12,928 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $47,433, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.34. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship graduate.
Women earned 72.1% of 1,258 Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $92,347. The largest mapped role by headcount is Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education (N/A U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $10,240 in-state at public colleges and $37,800 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.