Headline risk
0%
Very Low RiskEducation administrators, kindergarten through secondary
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
Plan, direct, or coordinate the academic, administrative, or auxiliary activities of kindergarten, elementary, or secondary schools.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 7% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 104,070
Employment 2024
333.3K
Projected Change (2024–34)
-1.5%
Openings (2024–34)
20.8K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Employment of elementary, middle, and high school principals is projected to grow 2 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities, policies, and student behavior or learning problems. AI use: 0%
- 2. Observe teaching methods and examine learning materials to evaluate and standardize curricula and teaching techniques and to determine areas for improvement. AI use: 0%
- 3. Collaborate with teachers to develop and maintain curriculum standards, develop mission statements, and set performance goals and objectives. AI use: 0%
- 4. Set educational standards and goals, and help establish policies and procedures to carry them out. AI use: 0%
- 5. Counsel and provide guidance to students regarding personal, academic, vocational, or behavioral issues. AI use: 0%
- 6. Plan and lead professional development activities for teachers, administrators, and support staff. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 47.1 · 1.1M employed
Under 25: 2% · 25–54: 72% · 55+: 26%
Related
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
crosswalk_exact · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Elementary, middle, and high school principals oversee all school operations, including daily school activities.
Principals work in public and private elementary, middle, and high schools. Typically, principals work year round.
Principals typically need a master’s degree in education administration or leadership. In addition, they need teaching experience.
The median annual wage for elementary, middle, and high school principals was $104,070 in May 2024.
Employment of elementary, middle, and high school principals is projected to grow 2 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.