Dive Brief:
- The national student-to-school counselor ratio improved by 1% to 372-to-1 in the 2024-25 school year, an improvement over the year before when it was 376-to-1, according to an analysis released by the American School Counselor Association this month.
- The updated ratio means that about 529,000 more students had access to a school counselor last school year than in the previous year. Additionally, the high school student-counselor range of 195 to 224 students for every one counselor for the first time meets the ASCA recommended ratio of 250-to-1, the association said.
- Elementary and middle schools still do not meet the recommended student-counselor ratios, however, with a range of 571 to 694 students for every counselor, based on data from the 35 states that report counselor count figures for elementary and middle schools separately from high schools.
Dive Insight:
Overall, 132,270 counselors served about 49.3 million students last school year.
State-level data for elementary, middle and high schools shows a wide range of student-counselor ratios in 2024-25. The highest ratio is in Arizona, with one counselor for every 570 students. However, ASCA called Arizona "the most improved state" for lowering its student-counselor ratio from 645-to-1 in the 2023-24 school year.
Vermont had the lowest ratio at 172-to-1. The District of Columbia and New Mexico improved their student-counselor ratios, while ratios worsened in states like Kansas, Rhode Island and North Carolina where the number of counselors dropped from 2023-24 to 2024-25, ASCA said.
ASCA's analysis uses data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics state nonfiscal public elementary and secondary education survey.
Research has pointed to benefits of smaller student-counselor ratios, including better standardized test performance, attendance, GPAs and graduation rates. Lower ratios also are linked to decreased discipline infractions and increased likelihood of students talking with school counselors about college and other postsecondary plans.
“Ensuring that every student has access to a school counselor remains essential to their well-being and long-term success,” said Jill Cook, ASCA executive director, in a Feb. 13 statement.
“This year’s improvement in the national student-to-school-counselor ratio reflects meaningful progress, demonstrating how even small gains expand access for hundreds of thousands more young people," Cook said. "School counselors play a pivotal role in helping each and every student succeed in school and in life. This data calls us to continue strengthening the supports that help all students thrive.”
