Student-to-Counselor Ratios are Dangerously High. Here’s How Two Districts Are Tackling It.
September 19, 2019
By: Emily Tate
Source: EdSurge
Students have always needed counseling services that go well beyond the college and career development that has become standard fare in American high schools. But today’s students—who increasingly suffer from depression, anxiety and various social pressures, even at a young age—demand more comprehensive support than ever before.
The trouble is, most of them aren’t getting it. Nationwide, there are about 111,000 school counselors serving 50.59 million students, or an average of one counselor for every 455 K-12 students, according to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), which draws on data from the U.S. Department of Education. Considering that most of those school counselors are disproportionately stationed in high schools and are oftentimes charged with helping students through the college admissions process, the ratio of counselors to students in elementary and middle schools becomes more bleak, notes Amanda Fitzgerald, ASCA’s director of public policy.