Education & Social Services

School Counselor

Help students plan classes and college, solve problems with school or friends, and get support when life gets hard

Open interactive guide

What does a School Counselor do?

School counselors work in elementary, middle, and high schools. They meet with students one on one and in groups, help with schedules and college plans, and connect families with outside help. Good listeners who stay calm and keep private things private are a great fit.

A day in the life

7:45 AMCheck the schedule for meetings and any urgent student needs
8:30 AMMeet one on one with a student who is behind on credits
10:00 AMLead a classroom lesson on study skills or handling stress
12:00 PMRun a lunch group for students dealing with big changes at home
1:30 PMHelp seniors with college applications and financial aid forms
3:30 PMCall a parent and write up notes from the day

What's great

  • Be the trusted adult a student needs
  • See students reach goals like graduation
  • Mix of talking, planning, and teaching
  • Follows the school calendar; summers off in many places

The hard parts

  • Caseloads can reach hundreds of students
  • Hard stories can be heavy to carry
  • Paperwork like testing duties takes time from counseling
  • Master's degree and state certification needed

What is a School Counselor's salary and outlook?

$36k – $90k
Salary Range
Master's degree
Typical Education
Growing

Typical pay in this guide runs from about $36,000 to $90,000 a year, with a midpoint around $60,000. These are planning figures for students, not a job offer or an official wage.

CareerLens rates the outlook as Growing.

For the official national outlook, see BLS Occupational Data.

How do you become a School Counselor?

A common path is Master's in school counseling with supervised internship and state certification. The ladder often runs from School Counselor Intern to School Counselor, then Lead Counselor or Department Chair, and Director of Counseling Services. Other routes: Teach first, then earn a master's in school counseling; Work in youth programs or social services to build experience; Some states ask for teaching experience; others do not; Extra certification in college counseling.

  • Teach first, then earn a master's in school counseling
  • Work in youth programs or social services to build experience
  • Some states ask for teaching experience; others do not
  • Extra certification in college counseling

Career path

Entry level
School Counselor Intern
Mid career
School Counselor
Senior
Lead Counselor or Department Chair
Executive
Director of Counseling Services

Will AI replace a School Counselor?

How much will AI change this job?

Quite a bit

AI will help with some tasks in this job, while the most important parts stay human.

AI helps with paperwork, but counselors still guide students personally.

School counselors will use AI to help sort schedules, track student data, and find resources faster. But listening to students, helping them through tough times, and guiding big decisions will still take a real person. The job stays about caring for people, with AI handling some busywork.

AI can help with

  • Organizing student records and schedules
  • Finding college or career information quickly
  • Drafting letters or basic reports

What stays human

  • Listening to a student who is struggling
  • Helping students make big life decisions
  • Building trust through real conversations

Skills to build now

  • Practice active listening with friends and family
  • Join peer mediation or leadership clubs
  • Learn basic organization and note-taking skills

Based on public research from Anthropic and OpenAI, drafted with AI, checked automatically, and read by a person. How we know

This describes how the work may change. It is not a prediction that the job will disappear.