ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Value Elementary & Middle School Administration/Principalship Schools in the Southeast Region

4 Colleges in the United States
$23,888 Avg Student Debt
$51,730 Avg Median Earnings (10yr)
2026 Best Value Elementary & Middle School Administration/Principalship Badge [Elementary & Middle School Administration/Principalship](/majors/education/educational-administration/elementary-and-middle-school-administration-principalship/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 8 schools to find the best return on investment for elementary & middle school administration/principalship students.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/educational-administration/elementary-and-middle-school-administration-principalship/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/educational-administration/elementary-and-middle-school-administration-principalship/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/educational-administration/elementary-and-middle-school-administration-principalship/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/education/educational-administration/elementary-and-middle-school-administration-principalship/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/education/educational-administration/elementary-and-middle-school-administration-principalship/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/educational-administration/elementary-and-middle-school-administration-principalship/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/educational-administration/elementary-and-middle-school-administration-principalship/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 10
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 13.04), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "Leadership (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Leadership (I Have a Masters)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Educational Administration (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Educational Administration (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Educational Leadership (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Educational Leadership (I Have a Masters)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Educational Leadership (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Educational Leadership (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Educational Leadership (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Educational Leadership (I Have a Masters)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Elementary Education (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Elementary Education (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Elementary Education (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Elementary Education (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "MS in Higher Education Administration" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "MS in Higher Education Administration" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Secondary Education (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.7
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Secondary Education (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.7)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Secondary Education (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.7
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Secondary Education (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.7)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 8
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 7 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 7
DEBUG: ESYOH offers found, rendering ESYOH widget
DEBUG: most_relevant_only = true, filtering for most relevant
DEBUG: Found 0 offers with relevance >= 1.0
DEBUG: Backfilling with 0 offers with relevance >= 0.9
DEBUG: Backfilling with 7 offers with relevance >= 0.8

2026 Best Value Elementary & Middle School Administration/Principalship Schools in the Southeast Region

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in elementary & middle school administration/principalship, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Elementary & Middle School Administration/Principalship Schools

1

Our analysis ranked Arkansas State University Main Campus the best value for a degree in elementary & middle school administration/principalship in the Southeast Region. Set in the city of Jonesboro, Arkansas State University Main Campus is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $8,090, with out-of-state students paying around $14,522. Typical student debt for elementary & middle school administration/principalship graduates is $23,399. Early-career elementary & middle school administration/principalship graduates make about $58,182. Set against $23,399 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 82%.

2

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Henderson State University earned it the #2 place for elementary & middle school administration/principalship. Henderson State University is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Arkadelphia. Students from in state pay about $8,244 in tuition and fees, compared with $10,620 for out-of-state students. Elementary & Middle School Administration/principalship graduates carry a median of $23,234 in student loans. Elementary & Middle School Administration/principalship graduates of Henderson State University earn a median of $49,902 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.

3

University Of Louisville came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value elementary & middle school administration/principalship schools. University Of Louisville is a very large public school located in the city of Louisville. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $13,136, with out-of-state students paying around $29,482. Typical student debt for elementary & middle school administration/principalship graduates is $21,910. Elementary & Middle School Administration/principalship graduates of University Of Louisville earn a median of $58,534 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $21,910 median debt. Roughly 79% of applicants are accepted.

4
Carson Newman College crest
Carson Newman College
Jefferson City, TN

A rank of #4 makes Carson Newman College one of the best values for elementary & middle school administration/principalship. Set in the suburb of Jefferson City, Carson Newman College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $34,700. Elementary & Middle School Administration/principalship graduates carry a median of $22,843 in student loans. Early-career elementary & middle school administration/principalship graduates make about $48,797. That is a strong return on a $22,843 median debt. Roughly 90% of applicants are accepted.

5

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Charleston Southern University earned it the #5 place for elementary & middle school administration/principalship. Charleston Southern University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Charleston. Students from in state pay about $32,520 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for elementary & middle school administration/principalship graduates is $27,569. Elementary & Middle School Administration/principalship graduates of Charleston Southern University earn a median of $46,288 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 96%.

ADBLOCK #101
6

The University Of Alabama came in at #6 for value in elementary & middle school administration/principalship this year. The University Of Alabama is a very large public school located in the city of Tuscaloosa. Students from in state pay about $12,180 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $34,172. Elementary & Middle School Administration/principalship graduates carry a median of $24,496 in student loans. Early-career elementary & middle school administration/principalship graduates make about $50,740. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 77% of applicants are accepted.

7
Furman University crest
Furman University
Greenville, SC

Furman University came in at #7 for value in elementary & middle school administration/principalship this year. Set in the suburb of Greenville, Furman University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $59,770. Elementary & Middle School Administration/principalship graduates carry a median of $23,764 in student loans. Elementary & Middle School Administration/principalship graduates of Furman University earn a median of $36,520 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $23,764 median debt. Roughly 43% of applicants are accepted.

ADBLOCK #173
View All Elementary & Middle School Administration/Principalship Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 8 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 ranked schools only.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options