Learn How to Become a Principal, Superintendent, or Other Administrator in New Hampshire with a Doctorate or Master’s in Educational Leadership

high five from teacher

The New Hampshire Department of Education (NHDOE) is responsible for ensuring a quality education for the state’s 167,357 preschool-12th grade students. Of the NHDOE’s total student population, 53,069 (32%) are in high school, 30,657 (18%) are in middle school, and 68,172 (41%) are in elementary school.

Thanks to skilled leadership at every level from the classroom to the school to the school administrative unit (SAU), New Hampshire’s educational leaders are doing a good job in what can optimistically be described as a challenging environment.

17.3% of New Hampshire students are enrolled in special education. 2.8% of students are English language learners. On average 12% of high school students don’t graduate.

While the challenges faced by New Hampshire’s educational leaders are daunting, they still manage to keep the state ranking relatively well both regionally and nationally. Only two states in New England can boast a higher high school graduation rate than New Hampshire, and the state is the second-best regionally for its eighth-grade math scores.

As an experienced teacher you know what kind of challenges face New Hampshire students, and you have a good idea how to improve the general state of education as a whole.

You want to learn more about administrative leadership at the school and district level. This starts with learning about your options for graduate study in educational leadership.

How to Become a Principal in New Hampshire – School-level Educational Leadership

To lead a school as a principal you’re going to need to add a superintendent endorsement onto your educator license.

Doing this requires having at least five years of experience as a teacher and meeting an education requirement. You also need to have references from three people who can attest to your leadership skills.

Throughout the application process you’ll work with the NHDOE Bureau of Credentialing and can submit application materials through your online myNHDOE account.

Fulfilling the Education Requirement

The NHDOE requires that you have at least a master’s degree. This must meet one of the following conditions:

The degree you earn must cover the following subjects:

In addition to graduate degrees in educational leadership, there are six NHDOE-approved programs offered by New Hampshire schools that will fulfill this requirement. These include degree programs like:

School Principal Salary and Jobs in New Hampshire

Every year the NHDOE publishes a report on the salaries of principals. For the 2022-2023 school year it details a total of 372 principals employed throughout the state. That year their average salary was $105,821, excluding charter schools.

The schools with the highest principal salaries were:

256 principals (69%) made at least $100,000 during this period. 65 principals (17%) earned at least $120,000. 40 principals (11%) earned less than $90,000.

11 schools in the Contoocook Valley SAU failed to submit data on their principals for this period.

How to Become a Superintendent in New Hampshire – District-Level Educational Leadership

When you’re ready to advance your career to SAU-level leadership, it’s time to add a superintendent endorsement onto your license.

To qualify for this endorsement you need three references who will attest to your leadership abilities, three years of education administrator experience in a K-12 setting, and to meet specific education requirements.

Throughout the application process you’ll work with the NHDOE Bureau of Credentialing and can submit application materials through your online myNHDOE account.

Fulfilling the Educational Requirement

To qualify to add the superintendent endorsement to your current license you need to complete an NHDOE-approved educational administration program at any of the following levels:

Currently there are three NHDOE-approved superintendent programs in the state.

Your education and work experience should prepare you to be competent in the following areas:

  • Awareness of organizational goals, mission, and vision
  • District culture and instructional programs
  • District management
  • School and district community engagement
  • Ethics and integrity
  • Cultural and social contexts

Superintendent Salary and Jobs in New Hampshire

Every year the NHDOE publishes salary figures for all its superintendents. According to its statistics, during the 2022-2023 school year a total of 97 superintendents were employed throughout the state.

The average superintendent salary that year was $130,672. The SAUs offering the highest superintendent salaries were:

Altogether 25 SAUs had superintendents earning $150,000 or more. 14 SAUs paid their superintendents below $100,000.

The SAUs with the highest enrollment were:

The average SAU enrollment that year was 1,593. 47 SAUs had enrollment below 1,000, and 26 had enrollment above 2,000. Superintendent salary data was not submitted from three SAUs for the 2022-2023 period: Londonderry, Middleton, and Strafford.

Educational Leadership Degree Options in New Hampshire: Doctorate and Master’s in Educational Leadership

We’ve sorted through all the graduate educational leadership programs in the state and nation along metrics like cost, private non-profit status, online course offerings, and on-campus course offerings. When you’re ready to advance your career to the leadership-level in New Hampshire you need a graduate degree in educational leadership. The sooner you earn this, the sooner you can start advancing your career to your full potential.

Franklin Pierce University

College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Accreditation:
NECHE
Campus

Franklin Pierce University

M.Ed in Educational Leadership

New England College

Graduate and Professional Studies
Accreditation:
NECHE
Online

New England College

M.Ed in Educational Leadership

Also offers:

Ed.D in Educational Leadership
(MS, Ed.D) in Higher Education Administration
Ed.D in Pk-12 Leadership
Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Leadership

Rivier University

Department of Education and Counseling
Accreditation:
NECHE
Campus

Rivier University

M.Ed in Education Administration

Also offers:

Ed.D in Leadership and Learning

Southern New Hampshire University

Accreditation: NECHE
Online

Southern New Hampshire University

M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction

Also offers:

MS in Higher Education Administration

2021 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for education administrators, kindergarten through secondary. Job growth projections from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, Projections Central. Figures are based on state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed March 2023.

Scroll to Top