The role of principal of an independent school in Australia is often compared to that of CEO of an ASX200 company. There are indeed similarities, reflecting commonality of governance arrangements rather than annual turnover and sharemarket valuations.

Independent schools are not-for-profit and have charitable status and their annual turnover can range from less than $2 million to well over 20 times that, depending in the main on the number of students and therefore the number of teachers and other staff.