School administrator vs school counselor

The differences between school administrators and school counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a school counselor has an average salary of $49,904, which is higher than the $48,331 average annual salary of a school administrator.

The top three skills for a school administrator include student issues, student attendance and curriculum development. The most important skills for a school counselor are mental health, community resources, and crisis intervention.

School administrator vs school counselor overview

	School Administrator	School Counselor
Yearly salary	$48,331	$49,904
Hourly rate	$23.24	$23.99
Growth rate	5%	10%
Number of jobs	73,018	91,275
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	47	42
Years of experience	4	-

School administrator vs school counselor salary

School administrators and school counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	School Administrator	School Counselor
Average salary	$48,331	$49,904
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $73,000	Between $36,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	KIPP Northern California Public Schools	The Gow School
Best paying industry	Professional	Education

Differences between school administrator and school counselor education

There are a few differences between a school administrator and a school counselor in terms of educational background:

	School Administrator	School Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Education	School Counseling
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

School administrator vs school counselor demographics

Here are the differences between school administrators' and school counselors' demographics:

	School Administrator	School Counselor
Average age	47	42
Gender ratio	Male, 40.6% Female, 59.4%	Male, 26.1% Female, 73.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 4.3% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	16%	11%

Differences between school administrator and school counselor duties and responsibilities

School administrator example responsibilities.

Manage social media profiles through Facebook for important details and dates pertaining to HeartChase.
Provide administrative duties for Pre-K to 7th grade.
Perform presentations using Smartboard, Powerpoint, and Smilebox.
Lead teacher for pre-k class specializing in children with special needs.
Spearhead efforts to raise student literacy and math scores on standardize tests.
Assist or lead meetings including faculty, IEP, and RTI small group.

School counselor example responsibilities.

Manage open houses, recruitment, and conduct interviews for GED student enrollment.
Travel to professional conferences and to visit colleges and universities across the country for professional development.
Attend educational meetings (IEP, IST, CCT, etc . )
Create and implement FBA's.
Complete CPR training and other necessary training classes.
Communicate with DCF in regards to students as needed

School administrator vs school counselor skills

Common school administrator skills

Student Issues, 21%
Student Attendance, 19%
Curriculum Development, 9%
Classroom Management, 6%
School Administration, 5%
Payroll, 4%

Common school counselor skills

Mental Health, 10%
Community Resources, 8%
Crisis Intervention, 6%
Professional Development, 5%
Behavioral Issues, 4%
CPR, 4%

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School Administrator vs School Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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