How They Spend Their Time, Stress Levels, and More
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The men and women leading the nation’s school districts view their jobs differently and approach decisionmaking in different ways. Superintendents also say they spend most of their time dealing with finances, but few consider that to be among their strengths.
A new study of superintendents from across the country by AASA, The School Superintendents Association, highlighted these and other insights about the changing nature of serving as a school superintendent, differences in how men and woman approach the job, job satisfaction, and longevity in the top district leadership role.
The survey, conducted from Sept. 16-Oct. 18, 2024, included 1,095 responses from superintendents in 49 states. AASA released it earlier this month.
Here are some takeaways from the study, by the numbers.
Superintendent Insights Dashboard
Who they are
Average age
The average age of the superintendents surveyed.
Classroom experience
Average number of years of classroom experience superintendents have before taking their district leadership role. Women tend to have more classroom experience before ascending to the top role.
Women leaders
The percent of districts’ top administrators who are women, up from 13.1% in 2000.
Diversity
The proportion of districts’ superintendents who are people of color.
Internal promotions
The percent of superintendents who were internal candidates for their current position. Women were more likely than men to have risen to the job as internal candidates.
How they spend their time
Managing finances
The proportion of superintendents who said managing district finances consumes the majority of their time.
Top growth areas
Areas where superintendents most want to develop as leaders:
Finance & budget planning
School reform & improvement
Job preparation
Most relevant courses
Two-thirds of superintendents identified school law as the most relevant course they took in academic leadership preparation programs. A researcher who worked on this report recommended more practical school finance-related lessons for superintendents.
57.1%
Leadership theory/research
42.8%
HR/personnel management
Job satisfaction and decisionmaking
Job satisfaction
The percent of superintendents who said they were either satisfied or very satisfied in their jobs (down slightly from 92% in 2020).
Job stress levels
The percent of superintendents who reported feeling “considerable” or “tremendous” stress in their jobs.
Future plans
The percent of superintendents who said they plan on serving in the top district leadership role for the next five years.
Influences over decisionmaking
Administrative colleagues
School board members
Women superintendents were more likely to point to school board members and the broader community as the top influences over their decisions.
Biggest challenge
The proportion of superintendents who said inadequate financing inhibited their effectiveness.
