Director of High School Admissions

What does a Director of High School Admissions do?

The Director of High School Admissions manages all aspects of the high school admissions department. Responsibilities include strategic planning, staff management, and developing the admissions department to meet or surpass institutional standards, including enrollment objectives and staff stability.

The role provides leadership in executing the business plan, controlling expenses, and directing recruitment activities, all aligned with the institution's mission and strategic plan. It is an admissions leadership role within the higher education sector.

What does the Director oversee?

Key responsibilities of a Director of High School Admissions

• Oversee the daily operations of the high school admissions office and develop and direct activities to achieve its goals and objectives.
• Collaborate with department managers to create and implement student enrollment strategies, managing resources to meet performance expectations.
• Participate in creating and implementing short-term and long-term recruitment strategies at the campus level to support growth objectives.

• Provide leadership in executing the business plan, controlling expenses, and performing other managerial functions as needed.
• Ensure all operations align with the overall mission and strategic plan, producing the desired student recruitment results.
• Ensure all admissions operations comply with local, state, and federal regulations and institutional policies and procedures.

• Carry out supervisory responsibilities including planning, assigning, and directing work, appraising performance, and resolving complaints and issues.
• Perform personnel management activities such as interviewing, hiring, training, performance appraisal, and problem resolution, following organizational policy and applicable laws.

What qualifications does the role require?

• Bachelor's degree preferred, with a minimum of two years of experience in admissions or a related field; five years of related experience is strongly preferred.
• Proven supervisory experience and the ability to lead and manage teams effectively.

Why is the Director of High School Admissions role important?

Enrollment drives an institution's stability. The Director of High School Admissions builds the strategy and team that bring students in, while keeping recruitment compliant with regulations and aligned to the institution's mission, which protects both growth and standing.

Because the role blends sales leadership with regulatory accountability, the strongest directors can drive enrollment numbers and keep recruitment practices clean. In a regulated admissions environment, a director who hits targets through non-compliant tactics creates far more risk than value.

A hiring note from Excelon

Related sample job descriptions

What does a Director of High School Admissions earn?

In Excelon Associates' high school admissions director searches, offers have typically landed between $100,000 and $125,000 per year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics groups these roles under postsecondary education administrators (SOC 11-9033), which carried a median annual wage of $103,960 in May 2024. The category runs from school-level roles to district and network leadership, and these placements sit near its midpoint.

School type and enrollment pressure set the band. Directors at independent schools with selective admissions and strong demand sit toward the low end of effort and the middle of pay, while those carrying aggressive enrollment targets at tuition-dependent schools, or admissions across a multi-campus network, reach the top. Financial aid strategy ownership is the most common scope addition that moves an offer up.