ACA UPDATE: Student-to-Counselor Ratios Remain Too High

The ratio of students to school counselors in U.S. public elementary and secondary schools stayed virtually the same in the 2006-2007 school year, according to data recently released from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).  The data shows the current U.S. student-to-counselor ratio is 475:1, down from 476:1 last year.  The ratio is based on the total number of students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools and the total number of "guidance counselors" employed in public schools during fall of the 2006-2007 school year.  ACA has the updated student-to-counselor ratio charts for public elementary and secondary schools available on its webpage at: http://www.counseling.org/PublicPolicy/TP/ResourcesForSchoolCounselors/CT2.aspx.

While the overall number of students enrolled in grades PreK-12 grew in size from the 2005-2006 school year, twenty-one states showed a decrease in student enrollment.  The number of school counselors increased in most states, with Virginia and West Virginia gaining more than 1,000 counselors each.  Seventeen states showed a decrease in the number of school counselors, with Illinois showing a loss of over 1,000 counselors and California showing a loss of nearly 500 counselors (giving them the highest student-to-counselor ratios in the U.S).

The five states with the highest student-to-counselor ratios:  Illinois 1,172:1, California 986:1, Minnesota 799:1, Arizona 747:1, and D.C. 729:1.  The five states with the lowest student-to-counselor ratios:  West Virginia 165:1, Wyoming 188:1, Vermont 218:1, Louisiana 225:1, and New Hampshire 251:1.  ACA recommends a maximum average student-to-counselor ratio of 250:1 to ensure that students have adequate access to counselors’ services.  Research shows that the provision of school counseling services can improve student well-being and academic achievement.

To calculate your school district’s student-to-counselor ratio, visit the NCES website at http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/ and enter in the name of your school district.  Information on total students and total school counselors reported, among other information, will be available.  To calculate the student-to-counselor ratio for your school district, divide the number of students by the number of counselors.

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Christie L. Lum
Coordinator, Public Policy & Legislation
American Counseling Association
ph  703-823-9800 x354 | 800-347-6647 x354
fx  703-823-0252
www.counseling.org