How to Become a School Secretary
A school secretary keeps the front office running: scheduling, attendance, records, and the first face most parents and visitors see. BLS data shows high school graduates typically qualify for entry-level positions, though requirements vary by district. Median pay for the broader occupation was $46,290 as of May 2024, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"Always be nice to secretaries. They are the real gatekeepers in the world." That line from Anthony D'Angelo holds up in any school building. The secretary is usually the first person you see walking in and the last one you see walking out, and the one who actually knows where every file, schedule, and unpaid lunch balance is hiding.
If a teacher needs supplies, a parent needs a call returned, or the fire drill schedule went missing, the secretary is who finds the answer. It's a job with real weight and not much official recognition. Here's what it actually takes to land one.
Qualities of a School Secretary
The people who do well in this job are organized, comfortable juggling several things at once, and good with people under pressure. A school secretary has to hit deadlines while keeping schedules straight for teachers, the principal, and everything happening in the building that day. On top of that: greeting visitors, answering the phone, making announcements, and handling billing, often all before the first bell.
Job Growth for School Secretaries
Most schools employ more than one secretary, which gives room to move up within the office. From there, the realistic next steps are roles like executive administrative assistant, office manager, or school business manager: positions that carry more budget and supervisory responsibility. A smaller number move into the district's central office, one of many roles across the education field a secretary's experience can lead toward, though those openings are limited.
How Do I Become a School Secretary?
BLS data indicates high school graduates typically qualify for entry-level secretary and administrative-assistant positions. That said, individual school and district requirements vary, and some do set a bachelor's degree as a preference or requirement, so it's worth checking the specific posting rather than assuming either way. An associate's degree in office management, or vocational training as a secretary, makes a candidate more competitive, and solid clerical experience can substitute for formal training at many schools.
Beyond the degree question, schools want someone comfortable with computers, printers, and copiers, plus basic bookkeeping and billing. Some secretaries also pursue the Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) credential through the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP). It's a voluntary professional certification, not a school-secretary license or a state requirement, and candidates need qualifying administrative work experience before they can sit for the full exam. School secretaries generally work the same calendar and hours as the rest of the school staff.
What Does a School Secretary Do?
A school secretary works out of the main office, typically right up front, so they're the first and last person most people see entering or leaving the building. In some schools, they're also the one buzzing visitors in once the doors lock for the day.
Day to day, that means entering lunch account information, tracking attendance, verifying bus notes and doctor's excuses, keeping supervisors' schedules straight, and making sure supply orders don't fall behind. When a teacher runs low on supplies, a meeting needs booking, or paperwork has gone missing, the secretary is usually the one who finds it.
The role carries real trust: secretaries handle student files, meeting notes, and employee records, and confidentiality isn't optional. A well-run front office says a lot about how a school runs overall, even when nobody outside the building notices who's making it happen.
School Secretary Job Description & Job Duties
The school secretary keeps the building's daily operations, staff, and students connected, making sure resources and schedules line up so the school can actually do its job. Duties look similar at the elementary and high school level, but each comes with its own emphasis.
Elementary School Secretary Job Duties
The elementary school secretary role is demanding but central to how the building runs. Typical responsibilities include:
- Provide clerical and administrative support to the principal, vice principal, and teaching staff as directed
- Keep the school operating in a consistently organized manner every day
- Act as liaison between the community, the school, and other internal and external stakeholders
- Coordinate documents for communication with the district office
- Maintain all recordkeeping for students and staff
- Maintain student and staff confidentiality in all circumstances
- Track attendance and absences, and generate reports for internal and external use
- Communicate effectively with district and community officials
- Manage multi-line phone systems and public address systems
- Handle payroll, benefits, petty cash, and school funds transactions and recordkeeping
- Perform general office duties: answering calls, filing, mail, spreadsheets, journal entries
- Support teachers, administrators, and students with typing, proofreading, editing, and daily mail
- Maintain the integrity of information systems, databases, and office files
- Coordinate internal and external meetings, appointments, events, and special events
- Purchase departmental resources like materials, hardware, software, and office equipment
High School Secretary Job Duties
The high school secretary handles a similarly diverse set of tasks, often under tighter timelines. Duties vary by school size, but generally include:
- Provide clerical and administrative support to the principal and vice principal, and support teaching staff per policy
- Keep the school operating in a consistently organized manner every day
- Act as liaison between the community, the school, and other internal and external stakeholders
- Maintain and oversee all recordkeeping for students and staff
- Act as first point of contact for callers, relaying messages and transferring calls as needed
- Arrange conferences, meetings, and travel reservations for administrative personnel
- Complete forms per school and district procedures, following relevant education law
- Compose, type, and distribute staff and department meeting notes and routine correspondence
- Generate and distribute reports as needed
- Handle visitor inquiries and direct them to the right person
- Locate and attach the right files to incoming correspondence needing replies
- Open, read, route, and distribute incoming mail, and prepare answers to routine letters
- Set up and maintain paper and electronic filing systems for records and correspondence
- Collect and disburse funds from cash accounts, keeping accurate records
- Record attendance and absences, and make phone calls as needed
- Establish work procedures and schedules, and manage the workflow of other clerical staff
- Order, track, and dispense supplies
- Review work done by others to confirm school formatting and content policies are followed
Where Can School Secretaries Work?
With the right training or work experience, a school secretary can work at public, private, or charter schools. Most positions involve a background check, though the specific requirements, including fingerprinting and other conditions, vary by state, school type, and employer. The core job doesn't change much by school level, though public schools tend to have more students and more diversity in their populations, and middle and high schools tend to run larger front offices than elementary buildings.
Charter and private schools generally look for the same skill set and hire for it the same way, though specific training expectations can differ by school.
Wherever the setting, the secretary is usually the one holding records, appointments, and schedules together for the entire building.
School Secretary Salary and Job Outlook
BLS groups school secretaries under "secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive," the subcategory it identifies as the largest employer of secretaries working in schools. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for this group was $46,290 as of May 2024.
Employment in this subcategory is projected to decline slightly, about 2% between 2024 and 2034, as more office tasks shift to self-service software and administrators absorb work secretaries once handled. That said, turnover still opens real positions: across all secretaries and administrative assistants, BLS projects roughly 358,300 openings each year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a school secretary do?
A school secretary runs the front office: answering phones, greeting visitors, tracking attendance, managing student records, and keeping schedules straight for the principal and teaching staff. They're usually the first and last person visitors see in the building.
How much does a school secretary make?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive (the subcategory that includes most school secretaries), was $46,290 as of May 2024.
Do you need a degree to be a school secretary?
BLS data shows high school graduates typically qualify for entry-level secretary and administrative-assistant positions. Requirements vary by district, and some do prefer or require a bachelor's degree, while an associate's degree in office administration can make a candidate more competitive.
How do you become a school secretary?
Start with a high school diploma or GED, then build clerical experience or take an office administration or vocational program. Comfort with basic office software, printers, and bookkeeping matters more to most hiring principals than a specific degree.
Is there a difference between an elementary and high school secretary?
The core duties overlap heavily, but high school secretaries often manage larger student populations, more complex scheduling, and more record-keeping volume. Elementary secretaries tend to handle more direct parent and family contact day to day.
- High school graduates typically qualify for entry-level roles - per BLS, though some districts prefer or require a bachelor's degree.
- Median pay is $46,290 - per BLS, for the subcategory of secretaries and administrative assistants that includes school secretaries, as of May 2024.
- Employment is projected to dip slightly - about 2% through 2034, but turnover still creates real openings every year.
- Advancement is realistic - experienced secretaries can move into executive administrative assistant, office manager, or district office roles.
- Experience counts as much as credentials - prior clerical work can substitute for formal training at many schools.
2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment projections for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (except legal, medical, and executive), the BLS subcategory that includes school secretaries. Figures reflect national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed August 2026.
Requirements vary by district, but most school secretary roles reward office administration coursework and hands-on clerical experience equally. The programs listed here include options built around exactly that kind of training.