AASA, The School Superintendents Association, has released a new report regarding the demographics of superintendents in schools throughout the United States, revealing insights into the differences between men and women in the profession.
For their report, the authors surveyed a sample of 2,077 superintendents during the 2024-2025 academic year. Only 26.47 percent of respondents were women. The vast majority of all respondents were between the ages of 41-60, with women superintendents slightly more represented within the 51-60 age range.
While the majority of superintendents worked in districts with less than 3,000 students, women superintendents were slightly more likely than their male counterparts to work in urbanized districts. Still, nearly two-thirds of women respondents were superintendents in rural areas.
Regarding their professional backgrounds, about 57 percent of women respondents had less than five years of experience as a superintendent, compared to 44 percent of their male peers. Additionally, over two-thirds of women superintendents had fewer than six years of experience in their present role, compared to 62 percent of male superintendents. Despite their underrepresentation, over half of women superintendents held a doctorate, compared to just 40 percent of male superintendents.
Keeping in mind that men are significantly overrepresented in the field, the superintendent profession has nearly reached gender equality in compensation. During the 2024-2025 academic year, the median annual salary for women superintendents was $157,500, compared to $158,881 for male superintendents, equating to women in this profession earning 99.16 cents for every one dollar earned by their male peers.