Across Pennsylvania
Politics & Government

New PA Superintendent Salary Report Released: These 7 Make $300K+

More than 200 superintendents around Pennsylvania make more than $200,000 annually, new state data shows.

| Updated

A total of 207 superintendents around Pennsylvania make more than $200,000 per year, including seven who make more than $300,000 annually, according to newly released data on 875 school leaders from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

The state's highest superintendent's salary is in Philadelphia, where Tony Watlington makes $367,710 per year.

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Many of the highest paid school leaders are, unexpectedly, in the densely populated southeastern Pennsylvania region. The top thirteen salaries are all from the five-county Philadelphia area, with Spring-Ford, Downingtown, North Penn, Radnor, West Chester, and Garnet Valley all surpassing $300,000 annual salaries.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are 14 superintendents in the state that make less than $100,000, and 50 that make $120,000 annually or less.

However, the highest paid administrators are a function not only of location. School size, of course, plays a major role, but there are other factors at play too.

The lowest paid superintendent is in Ligonier Valley School District, which is just east of Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County. The "substitute" superintendent currently in charge there makes just $30,000 a year.

The lowest salary for an administrator without the substitute title is $48,000 in North Hills, which is in the highly populated Allegheny County.

The average salary is $171,825, though that includes substitutes, assistants, and temporary replacements.

The data below is for the 2025-26 school year, according to a "snapshot" by the state taken on Oct. 1, 2025. The list below may not reflect personnel changes which have occurred since that date. See a spreadsheet with salary data here.

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