School guidance counselor vs elementary school counselor

The differences between school guidance counselors and elementary school counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a school guidance counselor has an average salary of $49,562, which is higher than the $34,984 average annual salary of an elementary school counselor.

The top three skills for a school guidance counselor include crisis intervention, community agencies and professional development. The most important skills for an elementary school counselor are social work, professional development, and crisis intervention.

School guidance counselor vs elementary school counselor overview

	School Guidance Counselor	Elementary School Counselor
Yearly salary	$49,562	$34,984
Hourly rate	$23.83	$16.82
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	82,545	92,184
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

What does a school guidance counselor do?

School Guidance Counselors assess students' ability and potential, provide private counseling, and coordinate with fellow professionals on student matters. To help students in realizing their objectives, school guidance counselors evaluate their attributes. Also, they identify behavioral problems and appropriately to remedy the situation. Part of their duties is to cooperate with parents, external partners, and academic staff. To succeed, these guidance counselors must be authentic and accessible with good communication skills and a profound interest in helping students to achieve career and academic goals.

What does an elementary school counselor do?

An elementary school counselor is primarily in charge of providing support and counseling to students as they navigate through their academic, social, and personal lives. Their responsibilities typically revolve around developing and executing programs for students' welfare, conducting student evaluations and interviews, mediating on various issues, and assisting students in preparing and processing scholarship applications. Furthermore, there are instances when an elementary school counselor must refer students and parents to social services and conduct interventions when necessary. Should there be any signs of abuse or neglect, It is essential to report to the authorities right away.

School guidance counselor vs elementary school counselor salary

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

	School Guidance Counselor	Elementary School Counselor
Average salary	$49,562	$34,984
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $67,000	Between $18,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Daly City, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Tolleson Union High School District	Success Academy Charter Schools
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between school guidance counselor and elementary school counselor education

There are a few differences between a school guidance counselor and an elementary school counselor in terms of educational background:

	School Guidance Counselor	Elementary School Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	School Counseling	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

School guidance counselor vs elementary school counselor demographics

Here are the differences between school guidance counselors' and elementary school counselors' demographics:

	School Guidance Counselor	Elementary School Counselor
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3%	Male, 25.0% Female, 75.0%
Race ratio	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%	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	11%	11%

Differences between school guidance counselor and elementary school counselor duties and responsibilities

School guidance counselor example responsibilities.

Participate in IEP's staff meetings, parent meetings and individual student counseling.
Attend and participate in IEP meetings, truancy elimination meetings, children s clinic meetings, and parent meetings.
Remain non-denominational, open, flexible and ecumenical in service to patients while also providing additional resources from local spiritual communities.
Collaborate with peers in leadership capacity at recreational summer camp leading, coordinating and organizing daily activities and weekly field trips.

Elementary school counselor example responsibilities.

Select to serve as the tier 2 PBIS coach and serve on district PBIS tier 1 team.
Train entire staff on PBIS theories, data and methodology.
Prepare and present Microsoft PowerPoint presentation on treating the grief and loss issues of incarcerate students.
Prepare and deliver PowerPoint presentations.
Serve as administrative representative for IEP meetings.
Participate and collaborate with administrators about RTI design and implementation.

School guidance counselor vs elementary school counselor skills

Common school guidance counselor skills

Crisis Intervention, 7%
Community Agencies, 7%
Professional Development, 6%
Financial Aid, 5%
Career Planning, 4%
K-12, 4%

Common elementary school counselor skills

Social Work, 14%
Professional Development, 9%
Crisis Intervention, 7%
Math, 7%
Community Resources, 6%
Kids, 5%

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School Guidance Counselor vs Elementary School Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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