In education in the United States, a superintendent (also known as a chief school administrator in many states) is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization.
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Many state departments of education in the United States refer to their senior administrator as superintendent. Generally, public school district superintendents are selected by a school board of a local school district. As chief executive officer of the public school, the superintendent has oversight for what is often one of the larger businesses within the community the district serves.
Most superintendents are members on the board of education (school board) of their school district, but they usually cannot vote as members of the board. While there are exceptions, many school districts now require, or desire, that their superintendent hold a doctoral degree. Depending on the state in which they serve, a public school superintendent might also be referred to as "chief education officer", or "chief executive officer". Most superintendents are hired by the board of education (or board of trustees), which is a governing entity of the district composed of elected officials from the communities the school district serves.
| State | Head of education | Elected | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Superintendent of Education | No | Dr. Joseph B. Morton |
| Alaska | Commissioner of Education | No | Larry LeDoux |
| Arizona | Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | John Huppenthal |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Commissioner of Education | No | Dr. Thomas Kimbrell |
| California | California Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | Tom Torlakson |
| Colorado | Colorado Commissioner of Education | No | Dwight D. Jones |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Commissioner of Education | No | Dr. Mark K. McQuillan |
| Delaware | Delaware Secretary of Education | No | Dr. Lillian Lowery |
| District of Columbia | Office of the State Superintendent of Education for the District of Columbia[1] | No | Dr. Kerri L. Briggs |
| Florida | Florida Commissioner of Education | No | Dr. Eric J. Smith |
| Georgia | State Superintendent of Schools | Yes | William Bradley Bryant |
| Hawaii | Hawaii Superintendent of Education | No | Kathryn Matayoshi |
| Idaho | Idaho Superintendent of Education | Yes | Tom Luna |
| Illinois | Illinois Superintendent of Education | No | Dr. Christopher Koch |
| Indiana | Indiana Superintendent of Education | Yes | Dr. Tony Bennett |
| Iowa | Iowa Director of Education | No | Judy Jeffrey |
| Kansas | Kansas Interim Commissioner of Education | No | Dr. Diane DeBacker |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Commissioner of Education | No | Dr. Terry Holliday |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Superintendent of Education | No | Ollie Tyler, Acting |
| Maine | Maine Commissioner of Education | No | Susan A. Gendron |
| Maryland | Maryland Superintendent of Education | No | Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Commissioner of Education | No | Mitchell D. Chester |
| Michigan | Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction | No | Michael P. Flanagan |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Commissioner of Education | No | Alice Seagren |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Superintendent of Education | No | Dr. Tom Burnham |
| Missouri | Missouri Commissioner of Education | No | Dr. Chris L. Nicastro |
| Montana | Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | Denise Juneau |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Commissioner of Education | No | Dr. Roger Breed |
| Nevada | Nevada Superintendent of Education | No | Dr. Keith Rheault |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Commissioner of Education | No | Virginia Barry |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Commissioner of Education | No | Bret Schundler |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Secretary of Education | No | Dr. Veronica García |
| New York | New York Commissioner of Education | No | David Steiner |
| North Carolina | North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | June St. Clair Atkinson |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | Dr. Wayne G. Sanstead |
| Ohio | Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction | No | Deborah S. Delisle |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | Sandy Garrett |
| Oregon | Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | Susan Castillo |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Secretary of Education | No | Dr. Gerald L. Zahorchak |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Commissioner of Education | No | Deborah A. Gist |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Superintendent of Education | Yes | Jim Rex |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Director of Education | No | Thomas J. Oster |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Commissioner of Education | No | Dr. Timothy K. Webb |
| Texas | Texas Commissioner of Education | No | Robert Scott |
| Utah | Utah Superintendent of Public Instruction | No | Larry Shumway |
| Vermont | Vermont Commissioner of Education | No | Armando Vilaseca |
| Virginia | Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction | No | Dr. Patricia I. Wright |
| Washington | Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | Randy Dorn |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Superintendent of Education | No | Dr. Steven L. Paine |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | Dr. Tony Evers |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | Dr. James M. McBride |
| American Samoa | American Samoa Director of Education | N/A | Dr. Claire Tuia Poumele |
| Guam | Guam Superintendent of Education | N/A | Dr. Nerissa Bretania-Underwood |
| Puerto Rico | Puerto Rico Secretary of Education | N/A | Carlos Chardon |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | U.S. Virgin Islands Acting Commissioner of Education | N/A | Dr. Laverne Terry |
The term 'superintendent' is rarely used for education in the United Kingdom (possibly to avoid confusion with the police rank); in most Local Education Authorities the equivalent title is Chief Education Officer. According to the history of the school (published in 1985), in 1885, when the Church Schools Company took over a school to form Newcastle High School, later Newcastle upon Tyne Church High School, the mistress of the former school was briefly considered for the post of Lady Superintendent, below the headmistress.