On Board Online • November 10, 2025
By Paul Heiser
Senior Research Analyst
School board members at NYSSBA's 2025 Annual Convention & Education Expo in New York City got an ego boost if they attended a session about a survey of superintendents conducted by the New York State Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS).
In New York State, more than nine out of 10 superintendents (91%) believe their school board is highly or somewhat effective, according to Robert Lowry, deputy director for advocacy, research & communications for the Council. That figure rose slightly from 89% the last time the Council published a similar report in 2020.
The survey, called 2025 Snapshot: The 11th Study of the Superintendency in New York, included more than 100 questions. It was fully completed by 469 superintendents - a response rate of 65%.
Profile of a superintendent
In terms of demographics, 70% of superintendents who responded to the survey were male, 91% were white and 52% were between 50 and 59 years of age. According to the survey results, the average years of service for New York superintendents was six years in their current district and eight years in total, and the vast majority (93%) had served in only one or two districts.
While currently predominantly male, the ranks of superintendents are diversifying. In fact, Lowry said that one of the most striking findings in the report involved the share of first-, second- and third-year superintendents who were women. Women comprised 47% of first-year superintendents and 43% of second- or third-year superintendents.
However, Lowry noted that there has been a significant turnover since the survey was conducted between Dec. 3, 2024, and Jan. 6, 2025.
"There are at least 70 new, first-time superintendents this school year, and NYSCOSS hasn't done any systematic data collection to compare the current state of the superintendency with the survey data," he said. He said if the survey were conducted this school year, the average years of service would be at least a year lower.
There also appears to be a fair amount of attrition on the horizon; 45% said they were within five years of retirement. Meanwhile, 23% said they were in their first three years as a superintendent.
Board-superintendent relations
Large percentages of superintendents agreed or strongly agreed with a series of positive statements about their boards of education. More than nine in 10 superintendents said their school board:
- Operates responsibly (92%).
- Is careful to make informed decisions (92%).
- Supports student achievement as a priority (92%).
- Reflects the feelings and attitudes of the community (91%).
- Understands the school system's financial condition (90%).
Superintendents generally described having a good working relationship with their boards; 94% said their school board agrees with them on most issues, and 80% said their board avoids micromanaging. (According to NYSSBA's Department of Leadership Development, micromanagement involves a school board, a portion of the school board or an individual school board member exerting influence or attempting to exert influence in administrative and managerial matters that ordinarily would be considered the prerogative of the superintendent.)
Whether a superintendent feels micromanaged by a school board can make a huge difference in job satisfaction and whether the superintendent would recommend the job to others, Lowry said. Among the 20% of superintendents who indicated that they have felt micromanaged, 37% said they would NOT recommend the superintendency as a career. In contrast, the figure was only 15% among superintendents who said that their board does not attempt to micromanage.
Overall, the share of superintendents who would recommend the position has never been greater. Seventy-seven percent of superintendents agreed with the statement, "I like the superintendency well enough to encourage a child showing aptitude to pursue it." That's the highest percentage since at least 2003 and eight points higher than the 2019 percentage of 69%.
Paths to the superintendency
Nearly half of superintendents - 47% - reported having served as central office administrators immediately prior to becoming superintendent. Another 46% had been either middle or high school principals (34%) or elementary school principals (12%) prior to assuming the superintendent position. Seven percent said they rose to the superintendency from BOCES administration or some other pathway.
According to the survey, more than half of superintendents said their previous experience was the primary factor for why their school boards hired them: 28% named their experience in the district as the primary reason for their hiring, followed by their experience in other districts (25%). Twenty-four percent said they were hired because of their personal leadership style.
The need for professional development for newly appointed superintendents was clear in the survey results. The only area in which more than half of superintendents thought they had proper preparation for the job when they entered the profession was curriculum and instruction (73%). Fewer than half of superintendents felt prepared at entry on personnel/human resources/legal issues (43%), board relations (40%), business/finance (25%) or political advocacy (18%). However, large majorities of superintendents said their current skill level in each of these areas was excellent or very good. That includes 80% for curriculum and instruction, 86% for personnel/human resources/legal issues, 88% for board relations, 73% for business/finance and 62% for political advocacy.