National

• The average salary of a receptionist in the United States is $26,010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in its 2009 salary survey. The average hourly wage is $12.50. The 25th percentile earns $20,540 each year, or $9.88 per hour. The 75th percentile earns $30,480 per year, or $14.65 per hour. According to the website Teaching Jobs Portal, as of April 2011, a school receptionist can expect to earn a median hourly wage of $11.80.
  
  

Education

• The typical school receptionist position only requires a high school diploma. It does require a cheerful and helpful personality, however. In addition, a school receptionist should be able to use computers, databases, telephone systems and intercoms with confidence. Much of the training a school receptionist receives happens after she is hired. A willingness to learn and to be of service is most important.
  
  

Examples

• The average salary of a high school receptionist on the job website Simply Hired is $28,000 per year, as of April 2011. This is in the upper range of the salary for a receptionist in any industry reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The salary schedule for the 2009 to 2010 school year in Galena Park Independent School District in Houston, Texas, states that a high school receptionist in that district would earn a minimum of $76.72 per eight-hour day, which is $9.59 per hour.
  
  

Highest Salary

• A front desk receptionist at an elementary school in Washington, D.C., can expect to earn $31,000 per year, 11 percent higher than other similar jobs in the country, according to the job website Indeed.com, as of the time of publication.