Principal attrition and mobility over time: Percentage distribution of public and private school principals, by status, school type, and school classification: 2008–09, 2012–13, 2016–17, and 2021–22

Year, school type, and school classification	Stayers	Movers		Leavers	Other
All principals, 2008–09	79.5	6.0		11.6	2.8
All public school principals	79.5	6.9		11.9	1.8
School classification
Traditional public	79.8	6.9		11.9	1.5
Public charter	72.0	7.7	!	12.8	7.4	!
All private school principals	79.8	3.1		10.8	6.3

All principals, 2012–13	78.0	5.9		11.5	4.6
All public school principals	77.4	7.0		11.5	4.1
School classification
Traditional public	77.8	6.9		11.4	3.9
Public charter	71.2	7.1		12.2	9.5
All private school principals	79.8	2.2		11.6	6.4

All public school principals, 2016–17¹	82.2	6.0		9.8	2.0
School classification
Traditional public	82.5	6.2		9.4	1.9
Public charter	78.3	4.7		13.8	3.2

All principals, 2021–22	80.2	5.2		10.9	3.6
All public school principals	79.6	5.9		11.2	3.2
School classification
Traditional public	80.0	6.0		11.0	3.1
Public charter	76.6	5.1		13.4	4.9
All private school principals	82.6	2.5		9.7	5.2

! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 percent and 50 percent (i.e., the standard error is at least 30 percent and less than 50 percent of the estimate).

¹The 2015–16 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), which was the base year for the 2016–17 Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS), did not include private school principals. As a result, the 2016–17 PFS included only public school principals.

NOTE: Data are weighted estimates of the population. "Stayers" are principals who were principals in the same school one year after the base year. "Movers" are principals who were still principals in the current school year but had moved to a different school in the year after the base year. "Leavers" are principals who were no longer principals in the year after the base year. "Other" includes principals who had left their base-year school, but for whom it was not possible to determine a mover or leaver status in the current school year. Deceased principals were re-categorized from "Leavers" to "Other" for 2016–17 and 2021–22, in comparison to previous PFS administrations. The base year for 2008–09 was 2007–08; the base year for 2012–13 was 2011–12; the base year for 2016–17 was 2015–16; the base year for 2021–22 was 2020–21. Principals from Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools are not included in the 2008–09 and 2012–13 estimates. Principals from BIE schools are included in the 2016–17 and 2021–22 estimates for "all principals" and "all public school principals," but the sample sizes are too small to report them separately. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Principal and Private School Principal Data Files," 2007–08; Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS), "Public School Principal and Private School Principal Status Data Files," 2008–09; "Public School Principal and Private School Principal Data Files," 2011–12; Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS), "Public School Principal and Private School Principal Status Data Files," 2012–13; National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), "Public School Principal Data File," 2015–16; and Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS), "Public School Principal Status Data File," 2016–17; National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), "Public School Principal and Private School Principal Data Files," 2020–21; and Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS), "Public School Principal and Private School Principal Status Data Files," 2021–22.