Gender Differences in Attrition Rates for Principals at K-12 Public and Private Schools

A new report from the U.S. Department of Education examines the attrition rate of school principals in the United States.

Overall, in the 2020-21 academic year women made up 56 percent of all public school principals. A year later, 80.5 percent of those women remained in the same job. Nearly 6 percent changed schools but remained a principal. But more than 10 percent were no longer principals either through retirement or career change.

For men who were public school principals in the 2020-21 school year, 78.5 percent remained in the same job, 6 percent were principals at different schools and 12.3 percent were no longer principals.

At private schools, women made up 62.8 percent of all principals in the 2020-21 school year. The next year, 82.2 percent were in the same job. Less than 2 percent were principals at a different private school and nearly 11 percent were no longer principals.

Although overall, men were only 37.2 percent of private school principals in the 2020-21 academic year, their attrition rates were lower. More than 83 percent of male principals remained in the same job. Another 3.7 percent were prinicipals at another private school and only 7.8 percent were no longer principals.