A European Commission analysis published on 9 October, and updated on 13 October, presents a mixed picture of school leadership: strong satisfaction with the work alongside substantial pressure on principals.
Drawing mainly on OECD TALIS 2024 responses from lower-secondary principals in 23 EU countries, the report says 94.3% were satisfied with their jobs. Administrative workload was identified as a stress source by 77.5%.
The analysis also reports that 37.2% intended to leave the profession within five years. That figure includes principals approaching retirement; it should not be read as a measure of resignations caused solely by dissatisfaction.
The findings will inform the future EU Teachers and Trainers Agenda. Their scope matters: this is a comparison of participating education systems, not a ranking of individual schools or a description of every European principal.