School Principal
Education
Plan, direct, or coordinate the academic, administrative, or auxiliary activities of kindergarten, elementary, or secondary schools.
What you'd do all day
The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.
- 1Counsel and provide guidance to students regarding personal, academic, vocational, or behavioral issues.
- 2Confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities, policies, and student behavior or learning problems.
- 3Determine the scope of educational program offerings, and prepare drafts of course schedules and descriptions to estimate staffing and facility requirements.
- 4Observe teaching methods and examine learning materials to evaluate and standardize curricula and teaching techniques and to determine areas for improvement.
- 5Collaborate with teachers to develop and maintain curriculum standards, develop mission statements, and set performance goals and objectives.
- 6Enforce discipline and attendance rules.
- 7Recruit, hire, train, and evaluate primary and supplemental staff.
- 8Plan and lead professional development activities for teachers, administrators, and support staff.
- 9Direct and coordinate activities of teachers, administrators, and support staff at schools, public agencies, and institutions.
- 10Set educational standards and goals, and help establish policies and procedures to carry them out.
- 11Evaluate curricula, teaching methods, and programs to determine their effectiveness, efficiency, and use, and to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
- 12Create school improvement plans, using student performance data.
- 13Determine allocations of funds for staff, supplies, materials, and equipment, and authorize purchases.
- 14Prepare and submit budget requests and recommendations, or grant proposals to solicit program funding.
- 15Establish, coordinate, and oversee particular programs across school districts, such as programs to evaluate student academic achievement.
- 16Plan and develop instructional methods and content for educational, vocational, or student activity programs.
- 17Mentor and support administrative staff members, such as superintendents and principals.
- 18Collect and analyze survey data, regulatory information, and data on demographic and employment trends to forecast enrollment patterns and curriculum change needs.
- 19Advocate for new schools to be built, or for existing facilities to be repaired or remodeled.
- 20Participate in special education-related activities, such as attending meetings and providing support to special educators throughout the district.
- 21Recommend personnel actions related to programs and services.
- 22Prepare, maintain, or oversee the preparation and maintenance of attendance, activity, planning, or personnel reports and records.
- 23Plan, coordinate, and oversee school logistics programs, such as bus and food services.
- 24Review and interpret government codes, and develop programs to ensure adherence to codes and facility safety, security, and maintenance.
- 25Develop partnerships with businesses, communities, and other organizations to help meet identified educational needs and to provide school-to-work programs.
- 26Teach classes or courses to students.
- 27Direct and coordinate school maintenance services and the use of school facilities.
- 28Meet with federal, state, and local agencies to stay abreast of policies and to discuss improvements for education programs.
- 29Review and approve new programs, or recommend modifications to existing programs, submitting program proposals for school board approval as necessary.
- 30Write articles, manuals, and other publications, and assist in the distribution of promotional literature about facilities and programs.
- 31Coordinate and direct extracurricular activities and programs, such as after-school events and athletic contests.
- 32Organize and direct committees of specialists, volunteers, and staff to provide technical and advisory assistance for programs.
Also known as
What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.
- Principal
- Headmaster
- SPED Admin
- PE Director
- HS Principal
- MS Principal
- School Admin
- SPED Director
- K-12 Principal
- Superintendent
How far is this from you?
Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.
1
Entry straight after SPM
2
SPM + sijil / short TVET course
3
Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)
4
Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)
Typical entry
Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route
Subjects that matter here
The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.
What you'd need to know
The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.
- Education and Training92%
- Administration and Management87%
BusinessEconomics
- English Language80%
English
- Administrative71%
Business
- Mathematics71%
Additional MathematicsMathematics
- Customer and Personal Service70%
Tools you'd use
Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.
What the work feels like
Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.
- Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
- Contact with other peopleConstant contact
- Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
- Leading or coordinating othersVery high
- Handling conflict situationsOften
- Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
- Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
- Noisy environmentOften
Where this job is heading
Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.
- Supervise student pick-up or drop-off.
AI and demand for this job
A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.
Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)
This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.
Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work
Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job — and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.
Pay in Malaysia
We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.
Where to check:
- JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
- DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
- SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
Check what you may qualify for
Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.
How to get here
Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.
Related careers
If this interests you, these are worth a look too.
About this information
This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.
O*NET occupation: Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org