Superintendents are reporting overall lower levels of stress this year compared to years prior, with leaders of small school systems showing greater improvements to stress compared to superintendents from larger districts, according to the State of the Superintendent report by Rand Corp.
Among 13 categories of job-related stressors, the leaders of small districts were less likely in 2025 than in 2024 to select every job stressor that was listed, with the exception of school board relations and school board pressure.
Leaders of large districts, on the other hand, gave a mixed response, stating that district budgets, educators’ mental health and state accountability requirements were top areas of increased stress compared to 2024.
Most common stressors for superintendents differed by district size. Small district leaders said budgeting was the area causing the most angst, while large district superintendents pointed to the intrusion of political issues and opinions as their top stressor.
The findings come from the American School District Panel’s survey of superintendents, which considers small districts as those with fewer than 3,000 students and large districts as those with 10,000 or more students.
The 2025 survey results come from superintendents in 208 districts. Because of the small number of responses, the report mainly focuses on differences between small and large districts, although leaders of medium-sized districts were also polled.
The top 5 job stressors for superintendents
How superintendents spend their time
When asked about the activities that take up most of their time, leaders of small districts most commonly said managing school facility operations and maintenance was the most time-consuming. Large district leaders cited time spent on communications, especially with school board members.
However, both small- and large-district superintendents said that instruction, school data, parent communication and communication with school staff are where they should be devoting most of their time.
And although small district superintendents reported reduced levels of stress this year compared to last, they noted a decline in positive feelings toward their job compared to the year before. In spring 2024, 57% of small district leaders said that despite the stress and disappointments, their job was worth it. In spring 2025, that figure shrank to 47%.
Among large district superintendents polled in spring 2025, 72% had positive views of their job compared to 74% the year before.
Superintendents are getting younger
A separate report released earlier this year by AASA, The School Superintendents Association, showed people are rising to the superintendency role at earlier ages compared to previous years.
The percentage of superintendents ages 60 and older fell from 19% in 2012 to just 10% in the 2024-25 school year. The data also showed a higher percentage of superintendents ages 41-50 (34%) in 2024-25, compared to 30% in 2012. The median age of a superintendent was 52.
In regard to pay, the survey found that the mean salary of superintendents in 2024-25 was $169,343, or about a 2% increase over the previous year. The mean salary just over 10 years prior, in 2013, was $131,171, showing that superintendents' salaries have not kept pace with inflation over the years, according to AASA.
The AASA report was based on survey data from 2,077 superintendents in 49 states.
