In recent years, there’s been a significant evolution in school communications directors who also serve on their district cabinet. According to the latest 2024 report from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), 64% of school communicators are considered members of their district’s cabinet and/or leadership team—a slight decrease from 67% in 2022, but still higher than the 59% reported in 2020.

Shifting Priorities and Responsibilities

The report revealed notable shifts in communicators’ responsibilities. Since 2020, Crisis Communications has remained a top priority, though it has declined from 69% in 2020 to 57% in 2024. Other significant changes include Website Management breaking into the top five responsibilities for the first time, nudging past Media Relations. Here’s the full breakdown of school communicators’ top responsibilities for 2024:

1. Crisis communications (57%)
2. Social media (49%)
3. External communications (47%)
4. Community relations/public engagement (44%)
5. Website management (42%)
6. Media relations (41%)
7. Internal communications (36%)
8. Strategic communications planning (31%)
9. Writing/editing (24%)
10. Marketing (23%)

A Growing, Younger Field

The school communicator field continues to evolve with fresh talent entering the profession. While 5% of respondents have one year or less of experience in the field—returning to 2020 levels after doubling in 2022—a significant 28% now report having 2-4 years of experience, the highest percentage since 2009. Additionally, 28% of school communicators have never worked in public relations outside of education, an all-time high.

The workforce is trending younger, with nearly two-thirds (64%) of school PR practitioners now under 50 years of age, the highest percentage in at least 15 years.

Department Size and Structure

Traditional one-person communications departments are becoming less common, falling to their lowest percentage (35%) since at least 2011. Meanwhile, departments with 2-4 people remain most common at 39%, and larger departments of 8 or more staff members have risen to 12%, the highest level in over a decade.

However, department size varies significantly by district enrollment:

• 84% of districts with fewer than 2,000 students have one-person communications departments
• No districts with enrollment of 25,000 or more have one-person departments
• 66% of districts with 50,000+ students have 8 or more staff members

The Vital Bridge Between Districts and Communities

With 69% of school communicators reporting directly to superintendents, the role has proven itself vital in bridging the gap between districts and their school communities. The position requires professionals who are adaptable, flexible, and dependable—making them an invaluable part of any district team.

New Challenges Emerge

The 2024 report introduced questions about challenges facing school communicators, revealing:

Top Three Challenges:

1. Limited staffing (34%)
2. Community perception and trust (33%)
3. Burnout (31%)

Barriers to Family Engagement:

1. Message overload competing for families’ attention (83%)
2. Families’ lack of interest (48%)
3. Insufficient staffing capacity (36%)

Perhaps most concerning: approximately 75% of school communicators reported that work-related stress has impacted their job satisfaction in the past year, highlighting the demanding nature of this evolving role.