Skip Navigation

Principals’ age and sex: Average and median age of K–12 school principals and percentage distribution of principals, by age category, sex, school type, and selected school characteristics: 2020–21

          Percent of principals
          Age   Sex1
School type and selected school characteristic Average age of principals   Median age of principals   Younger than 45 years   45–54 years   55 years or older   Male   Female  
All principals 49.1 48.2 32.7 41.3 26.0 42.6 57.4 
                
All public school principals 48.5 47.8 33.3 44.3 22.5 44.0 56.0 
                
School classification               
Traditional public 48.6 47.9 32.6 45.1 22.3 44.7 55.3 
Charter school 47.8 46.5 39.9 35.6 24.5 37.5 62.5 
                
Community type               
City 48.5 47.8 32.8 45.1 22.1 37.6 62.4 
Suburban 48.7 47.9 32.6 45.7 21.7 41.7 58.3 
Town 48.3 47.6 32.5 43.7 23.8 52.1 47.9 
Rural 48.4 47.7 34.9 41.9 23.2 49.5 50.5 
                
School level2               
Elementary 48.4 47.7 34.3 43.0 22.7 31.4 68.6 
Middle 47.9 47.1 35.2 46.6 18.2 56.3 43.7 
Secondary/high 49.1 48.1 29.4 45.9 24.6 64.5 35.5 
Combined/other 48.7 48.0 33.3 43.5 23.2 48.2 51.8 
                
Student enrollment               
Less than 100 51.1 50.8 23.2 42.5 34.2 49.2 50.8 
100–199 49.3 48.8 29.4 42.3 28.2 46.8 53.2 
200–499 48.0 47.3 35.6 43.0 21.4 38.9 61.1 
500–749 48.0 47.3 35.0 45.0 20.0 41.1 58.9 
750–999 48.8 47.9 32.9 47.1 20.0 50.1 49.9 
1,000 or more 49.2 48.2 28.7 49.3 22.1 61.6 38.4 
                
Percent of K–12 students who were approved
for free or reduced-price lunches
              
0–34 48.6 47.6 33.9 43.9 22.2 48.0 52.0 
35–49 48.1 47.2 35.8 43.7 20.5 50.2 49.8 
50–74 48.4 47.8 33.4 45.2 21.4 48.1 51.9 
75 or more 48.7 48.1 31.9 44.3 23.9 37.3 62.7 
                
All private school principals 51.5 50.6 30.4 30.0 39.6 37.2 62.8 
                
School classification               
Catholic 51.3 50.3 31.6 29.3 39.1 31.5 68.5 
Other religious 51.8 50.9 31.4 27.1 41.5 43.9 56.1 
Nonsectarian 51.0 50.4 27.0 36.4 36.5 30.2 69.8 
                
Community type               
City 52.5 51.6 26.7 30.6 42.7 33.9 66.1 
Suburban 51.4 50.8 29.5 30.2 40.3 33.3 66.7 
Town 51.3 49.8 27.2 38.0 34.7 38.4 61.6 
Rural 50.2 48.8 38.5 25.4 36.1 47.8 52.2 
                
School level2               
Elementary/middle 50.9 49.6 35.6 24.1 40.3 24.9 75.1 
Secondary/high 52.2 51.3 25.8 32.8 41.4 55.4 44.6 
Combined/other 51.5 50.6 29.7 31.1 39.2 37.5 62.5 
                
Student enrollment               
Less than 100 51.2 50.2 33.2 26.9 39.9 34.0 66.0 
100–199 51.5 51.0 30.0 30.2 39.9 35.8 64.2 
200–499 51.9 51.1 25.4 34.6 39.9 39.7 60.3 
500–749 50.7 49.1 32.3 36.7 31.0 60.2 39.8 
750 or more 53.9 51.7 18.9 37.8 43.3 56.2 43.8 
1Principals were asked whether they were male or female. Although this variable is labeled “sex,” the questionnaire did not use either the term “gender” or “sex.”
2Elementary schools offer at least one grade of K to 4, and the number of elementary grades is higher than the number of middle grades. Middle schools offer at least one of grades 5 to 8, and the number of middle grades is greater than the number of elementary or secondary grades. Secondary/high schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades 9 through 12 than in lower grades. Combined/other schools include all other combinations of grades, including K–12 schools. School level categories in the 2020–21 NTPS differ from those in previous survey administrations; caution should be exercised when comparing estimates by level over time.
NOTE: Data are weighted estimates of the population. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), “Public School Principal and Private School Principal Data Files,” 2020–21.