How to hire a high school counselor

How to hire a high school counselor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step high school counselor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a high school counselor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new high school counselor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a high school counselor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your high school counselor job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a high school counselor for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A high school counselor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, high school counselors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of high school counselors.

   Type of High School Counselor	Description	Hourly rate
   High School Counselor	School counselors help students develop academic and social skills and succeed in school. Career counselors assist people with the process of making career decisions by helping them develop skills or choose a career or educational program.	$16-31
   Admissions Representative	As the name entails, admissions representatives assist prospective and new students attending a university. They give these students the information they need to make a well-informed decision regarding enrollment, make admissions decisions, and review documents... Show more	$11-28
   Job Coach	A job coach is responsible for evaluating people's skills and qualifications, advising them with career paths, helping with their aspirations, and promote employment opportunities. Job coaches help the clients build self-confidence and explore their maximum potentials to develop their professional growth... Show more	$14-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Mental Health
   • Financial Aid
   • Community Resources
   • Social Work
   • Crisis Intervention
   • at-Risk
   • Standardized Testing
   • Professional Development
   • Career Planning
   • Career Development
   • Autism
   • Conflict Resolution
   • Public Schools
   • Course Selection

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead small student groups addressing student concerns about divorce, loneliness, social skills, study skills and recovery.
   • Assist students with FAFSA guidelines and scholarship searches.
   • Help students complete FAFSA, and other time-sensitive documents.
   • Coordinate test administration; conduct score interpretation and informal workshops about the PSAT program.
   • Administer standardized tests (Stanford 10 and PSAT) and review the results with students, parents and teaching staff.
   • Facilitate activities ranging from yoga to leadership training.

   More high school counselor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your high school counselor job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A high school counselor salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, high school counselors' average salary in south dakota is 49% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level high school counselors earn 46% less than senior-level high school counselors.
   • Certifications. A high school counselor with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a high school counselor's salary.

   Average high school counselor salary

   $48,361yearly

   $23.25 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level high school counselor salary

   $35,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average high school counselor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$61,780	$30
   2	Pennsylvania	$49,673	$24
   3	New Mexico	$47,606	$23
   4	Texas	$44,869	$22
   5	New York	$43,321	$21
   6	Illinois	$42,872	$21
   7	Colorado	$39,140	$19
   8	Florida	$36,820	$18
   9	Maine	$36,057	$17
   10	Michigan	$34,451	$17
   11	Oklahoma	$34,266	$16

   Average high school counselor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	The American Musical and Dramatic Academy	$75,714	$36.40
   2	Anoka-Ramsey Community College	$61,003	$29.33
   3	Hillsboro School District	$60,624	$29.15	1
   4	Santa Rosa City Schools	$60,364	$29.02
   5	Salinas Union High School District	$58,766	$28.25
   6	Campbell Union High School District	$58,727	$28.23	14
   7	Sweetwater Union High School District	$57,757	$27.77	6
   8	Wonderful College Prep Academy	$56,784	$27.30	1
   9	Elizabeth Forward School District	$56,723	$27.27
   10	Weld RE-4 School District	$56,696	$27.26
   11	Bright Star Schools	$56,080	$26.96	9
   12	Catapult Learning	$55,549	$26.71
   13	Tamalpais Union High School District	$55,282	$26.58	9
   14	Fremont Public Schools	$54,957	$26.42	10
   15	KIPP SoCal Public Schools	$54,929	$26.41	9
   16	Topeka Public Schools	$54,168	$26.04	10
   17	KIPP Austin Public Schools	$54,144	$26.03	175
   18	Chaminade High School	$53,942	$25.93	2
   19	Connections Academy	$53,739	$25.84	81
   20	Arroyo Seco Junior High	$53,734	$25.83	3

4. Writing a high school counselor job description

   A high school counselor job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a high school counselor job description:

   High school counselor job description example

   The Building Substitute provides critical, flexible support to students, classrooms, and the building at large that help our schools ensure that a) learning is maximized for students everyday and b) successful, smooth day to day operations. The Building Substitute will provide classroom coverage as needed, and should be comfortable and confident stepping into lead quality instruction across a variety of classrooms (guidance and resources will be provided). The Building Substitute will also provide a variety of other support services that support the healthy functioning of the school, including support with arrival, dismissal and transitions, general classroom assistance, student supervision and support in common spaces (like lunch and recess), tutoring and small group learning, and other relevant duties as assigned. The daily hours for this position are 8:00-4:30 daily. Candidates should note that while this is a one-year, grant-funded role, this position offers opportunities for growth; a number of past Building Substitutes at KPPS have gone on to serve as highly successful, permanent lead teachers at our schools.
   Key Responsibilities
   
   Instructional Support
   
   · Serve as a flexible substitute teacher, providing short-term coverage for lead teachers across the building
   
   · Provide high quality instructional support in whole group and small group settings as needed
   
   · Exhibit positive rapport with students, parents, families and staff and act as a role model for students
   
   · Teach challenging, engaging and differentiated lessons linked to state standards
   
   · Effectively leverage provided curricular resources and tools
   
   · Create and foster a positive, safe learning environment that incorporates the school's classroom management systems, core values, and code of conduct
   
   · Demonstrate strong pedagogy and effective classroom management
   
   · Track student progress and use data to refine and inform instruction
   
   · Participate in all staff meetings, coaching and professional development opportunities
   
   · Perform clerical duties as required relating to attendance reports, student reports and records, etc.
   
   · Be available for report card nights and other events involving parents/guardians
   
   · Other relevant duties as assigned by the school leader
   
   Supplementary School Support
   
   · Understand and uphold school routines and procedures
   
   · Support with student arrival, dismissal, transitions, lunch and recess
   
   · Provide basic operational and student support as needed to support the healthy functioning of the school, including distribution or collection of materials, communication, organization of supplies, etc.
   
   · Other relevant duties as assigned by the school leader

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right high school counselor for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your high school counselor job on Zippia to find and recruit high school counselor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting high school counselors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new high school counselor

   Once you have selected a candidate for the high school counselor position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new high school counselor first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a high school counselor?