The American West and Midwest lead the U.S. with the highest student-to-school counselor ratios, an Axios review of federal data has found. analysis of federal data found that Arizona, a state with a large Latino and Native American population, had the worst student-to-school counselor ratio in the nation — 667-to-1 during the 2022-2023 school year.Vermont and New Hampshire had the nation's lowest rates. The student population there is smaller than in other states and predominantly white.
They serve as liaisons between students and mental health professionals, state child protective service agencies and university recruiters."Having fewer school counselors prohibits students from being identified or being seen," Eric Sparks, ASCA deputy executive director, tells Axios. A higher ratio of students to school counselors is especially evident in racially segregated schools and those with a higher percentage of incoming students, Sparks said.
"Unfortunately, when it gets too high, it increases the likelihood that a student is going to fall through the cracks."states that report elementary and middle school counselors and secondary school counselors separately , the ASCA calculated average ratios of 737-to-1 for pre-K-8 school counselors and 232-to-1 for high schools.
The U.S. Bureau of Indian Education, which oversees schools on Native American reservations that receive federal support, had a ratio of 179.Not only is there a shortage of school counselors, but various studies show a lack of Latino and Black school counselors in many districts.The ASCA recommends that states pass legislation or introduce policies that offer alternative licensing options and pay incentives to attract more school counselors.