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United States

The duty roster costs more than the software

Recess, cafeteria, car line and same-day class cover are usually owned by a principal or assistant principal. These three studies put a number on that using BLS May 2024 administrator wages: an 18-staff elementary, a 90-staff high school, and a five-school district.

  • 2,262 hoursgiven back each year across the three schools
  • $136,276net of every USD subscription in these studies
  • From $$99a month, with every feature on every plan
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18 staff on the rota

US elementary school

An 18-staff elementary gets 5 hours a week back

In a small US elementary the duty roster is often owned by the principal or an assistant principal, though an office manager or special education coordinator may hold it. Recess, cafeteria, car line, sick cover and reprinting the sheet take at least 5 hours a week. SchoolRota cuts that to about half an hour a week, then emails the PDF and syncs Outlook or Google Calendar.

Hours back a year
240
Net saving
$16,168
Return on plan
17.3x
Read the study
90 staff on the rota

US high school

A 90-staff high school stops rebuilding coverage by hand

A typical 9-12 high school has a much larger classified-staff pool and class cover on top of hallway, cafeteria and parking duty. Attendance clerks print lists. The person who can decide who may cover a class is usually an assistant principal. SchoolRota turns about 8 hours a week of that work into a short daily review.

Hours back a year
384
Net saving
$25,162
Return on plan
12.0x
Read the study
202 staff on the rota

US school district

Five schools, one seat pool, and three days a week of time back

A five-school district mixes two small elementaries, a larger elementary, a middle school and a high school. Each site is at least at the 5-hours-a-week elementary floor, then a central office chases PDFs. One SchoolRota organisation on the XL plan replaces about 35 hours a week of scattered work.

Hours back a year
1,638
Net saving
$94,946
Return on plan
22.1x
Read the study

At a glance

Hours and net saving compared

Hours, plan cost and net saving for each modelled school
StudyStaff on rotaHours a month, by handHours a month, with SchoolRotaAnnual planNet saving a year
US elementary school18222$990$16,168
US high school90353$2,290$25,162
US school district20215215.5$4,490$94,946

Worked example

5 hours a week of duty-roster time, for $990 a year

Recess, cafeteria and car line, then sending the sheet round, at least 5 hours a week in a small elementary. SchoolRota publishes the day, emails the PDF and syncs Outlook or Google Calendar.

91%less time
11x faster22 hours a month becomes 2
Hours on the rota each month

Specialist time spent building the rota, covering absence, rebuilding sheets and sending them.

  • Spreadsheet and email22 hours
  • SchoolRota2 hours
What that time costs each year

Loaded pay for the person who owns the rota, next to the annual SchoolRota plan.

  • Cost of doing it by hand$18,873
  • Cost with SchoolRota$1,716
  • Starter plan, per year$990
Open the elementary study

Methodology

Pay is U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2024. Elementary principals use the $104,070 national median for SOC 11-9032. Assistant principals use the $83,840 25th percentile. Special education coordinators use the $74,620 instructional-coordinator median. Certified roles add 7.65% FICA and a 16% typical public pension contribution. Health insurance is left out. Loaded pay is divided by 1,800 hours.

A small elementary starts at 5 hours a week (22 hours a month). High school and district sites sit above that. Plans are the USD annual prices on the pricing page. See also the UK studies. Last reviewed 17 August 2026.

Common questions

Are these named US school districts?
No. Each one is modelled on a typical US public school, using BLS May 2024 administrator wages and a 5-hour weekly floor for a small elementary. They show the scale of the saving rather than quoting a single district by name.
Why use principal and assistant-principal pay?
An office manager, attendance clerk or special education coordinator can own the sheet. In practice it is more often a principal or assistant principal, because the work needs knowledge of availability, job level, first aid and who is already teaching. We cost BLS 11-9032 because that is the common pattern.
What is left out of the US saving?
Automatic PDF emails, calendar sync, fairer duty load, lower key-person risk, any drop in substitute spend, and employer health insurance. The cash figure only counts loaded wages for hours no longer spent on the roster.
How much does SchoolRota cost in the US?
Online signup is currently available to UK schools only. USD plans run from $99 a month for up to 25 staff on the roster to $769 a month for up to 500, with two months free on annual card subscriptions and a 30-day no-card trial. Admin and viewer logins are unlimited.

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