Women Now Hold One-Third of the Nation's Top 500 Superintendent Seats and Superintendent Turnover Remains Elevated, ILO Group's Superintendent Research Project Finds

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Women now hold one-third of the superintendent positions in the nation's 500 largest school districts, the highest levels since the launch of ILO Group's Superintendent Research Project, and superintendent turnover continues at historic levels, reaching a three-year-high in 2025. These are the major findings of the 2025 update of the Superintendent Research Project, the only publicly available database and analysis of who is leading the nation's largest districts, led by ILO Group, a women-founded national education strategy and policy firm.

"The role of superintendent is one of the most influential in public education and yet data show that districts and states continue to face destabilizing turnover," said Dr. Julia Rafal-Baer, Co-Founder and CEO of ILO Group. "This year's findings make clear that the leadership churn we once considered temporary is now the new normal, and it is straining districts at the very moment students need steady, effective leadership the most. By tapping into the full pool of highly qualified, battle-tested leaders already in our schools and state education agencies, we can both improve leadership stability and ensure every community has the leadership it needs to meet today's challenges and deliver for students."

The 2025 release of the Superintendent Research Project shows that:

• Turnover remains high, with 114 of the top 500 districts (23%) experiencing at least one leadership change in the past year. That's up from 20% the year before and higher than pre-pandemic historical averages of 14-16%.
  • The last three annual data updates have shown that superintendent transitions were more frequent during the pandemic than before it, and that high rates of leadership turnover have persisted.

• One in three superintendent roles is now held by a woman (33.2%), an increase from the previous year. Despite year-over-year improvement, at the current pace of change, parity between women and men is not projected until 2054, nearly three decades from now.
  • In the largest 100 districts half of all new superintendents appointed this year were women.

• Geographic differences persist, with the West and Midwest showing notable increases in women leaders, while the South continues to lag behind.
  • Northeast: 46% women (17 of 37 districts) down from 54% in 2024
  • Midwest: 38% women (25 of 65 districts) up from 31% in 2024
  • West: 37% women (56 of 151 districts) up from 30% in 2024
  • Southeast: 22% women (33 of 150 districts) same as 2024
  • Southwest: 36% women (35 of 97 districts) down from 37% in 2024

• At the state level, women make up just over half, 53% (or 27 out of 51), of those serving in state-level superintendent positions. That's up from 47% in the previous year.
  • The turnover rate of state-level superintendents is similar to that of district-level superintendents, as 10 (19.6%) states have experienced transitions in the past year (since July 2024).

• A growing majority of new superintendents were internal hires, as 58% of new hires in the last year were internal hires, versus 42% coming from an external pathway.
  • Nearly 4 in 10 of all new hires (39%) this year had previously served as an interim superintendent, showing how the interim role has become a common stepping stone.
  • Women are more likely to rise through internal promotions and to serve as interim or deputy superintendents before being named permanent leaders.
  • Men are more likely to rise to the superintendency as external hires and to have previously served as superintendents or assistant superintendents.

• Women are more likely than men to serve as deputies or interim superintendents prior to selection and to hold doctoral degrees at higher rates.
  • Between 2018 and 2025, 26% of women, or 71 women, with known prior roles were Deputy Superintendents, compared to 16% or 87 men.
  • Between 2018 and 2025, 39% of women superintendents, or 155 women, started as interim superintendents, compared to 26% or 217 of men superintendents.
• Men are far more likely to repeat as superintendents in the largest districts. Nearly 7 in 10 of superintendents who have served in multiple districts in the top 500 largest school districts are men. Just three superintendents have held the top job in three different districts in the top 500. All three of those 3-time superintendents are men.

ILO Group launched the Superintendent Research Project in 2021 to fill a decades-long gap in national data on superintendent turnover and leadership trends. The dataset is updated annually and provides districts, states, and policymakers with independent, verifiable insights into who is leading America's largest school systems, how they got there, and how long they stay.

The full dataset and findings can be accessed at: https://www.ilogroup.com/the-superintendent-research-project/

About ILO Group

ILO Group was built on a simple, shared mission: to roll up our sleeves and do whatever it takes to support K-12 system leaders' big bets – from continuing to respond to student needs exacerbated by the pandemic to supporting all students thriving as we look ahead. 

A proudly women-owned education strategy and policy firm, ILO Group, stands for In the Life Of. We work side-by-side with the country's leading educators, experts, and government partners to help solve the toughest challenges facing school systems and leaders today–because we've been in their shoes. With decades of collective experience, our seasoned team of consultants has supported many of the nation's largest and highest-profile school systems and education-focused organizations.

Our clients span school districts, state education agencies and other government agencies, nonprofits, philanthropy, start ups, civic-minded businesses, and beyond. They all share one thing in common: an unwavering commitment to supporting our nation's students and young people. Through our work, we have supported leaders serving 1 in 2 students in America.

About Dr. Julia Rafal-Baer

Dr. Julia Rafal-Baer is the Co-Founder and CEO of ILO Group, and the founder and CEO of Women Leading Ed, the largest national nonprofit network of women in education leadership. Dr. Rafal-Baer is a board member on the National Assessment Governing Board and a former New York State Department of Education Assistant Commissioner. A former special education teacher, Dr. Rafal-Baer holds a Master of Philosophy in Education Research and a Ph.D. focused on comparative education policy from the University of Cambridge, where she was a Marshall Scholar.

SOURCE ILO Group