The field of Jewish day schools and yeshivas is facing critical challenges related to the pipeline of teachers and school leaders. Transparency around compensation and benefits trends can be leveraged to help attract new talent, retain current talent, and increase equity across the field. This report is a summary of findings from a salary and benefits survey administered to heads of Orthodox schools about their 2022-2023 salary and benefits.
The report is designed to offer valuable insights to heads of school, school boards, Jewish communal organizations, and supporters of Jewish day schools and yeshivas. Our primary objective is to provide a snapshot of heads of Orthodox schools’ compensation in order to empower Jewish educational leaders and their supporters to make informed decisions. By creating greater transparency around compensation for the headship, we aim to inspire more skilled professionals to pursue this path, thereby enhancing the strength and vibrancy of Jewish educational leadership.
Among its most significant findings, this study revealed four current trends:
- The majority, 64%, of heads of school have served at their current schools for five years or fewer, and 75% of heads of school have been in the role of headship for more than five years.
- Base salary is highly related to enrollment size and varies widely by school location.
- Establishing and maintaining a long-term relationship with a school appears substantially more important for over-time salary growth than lateral moves from one school to another.
- Women and men who lead Orthodox schools are not being compensated equally, in terms of both salary and benefits.