Editor's note: While the national student-to-counselor ratio decreased to 408:1 in the 2021-2022 school year, down from 415:1 the year before, it is still higher than American School Counselor Association's recommended ratio of 250:1. More information can be found in the K-12 Dive Brief Counselor Caseloads Decrease to Lowest Level in 30 Years.
An analysis of student-to-counselor ratios for elementary through secondary schools shows Texas ranked 23rd in the nation.
School counselors are critical to student success. States with the lowest rankings are encouraged to work with districts to address local shortages and ensure students have the support necessary to build skills to overcome social and behavioral challenges and improve academic performance.
Charlie Health, a virtual mental healthcare provider, analyzed employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the American School Counselor Association, and the National Center for Education Statistics to determine which states have the greatest need for school counselors.
The analysis for Texas shows:
- Student to school counselor ratio: 392:1
- 13,696 counselors to 5,372,806 students
Vermont (186:1) and New Hampshire (208:1) are the only states with a ratio lower than the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Arizona, with a ratio of 716:1 is ranked worst among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. A list of rankings for all states can be found in this Missoulian article.
April Mabry is an assistant director at TASB HR Services. Send April an email at april.mabry@tasb.org.
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Tagged: Employment, Recruiting, Retention