School Psychologist Salary

Bureau of Labor Statistics title: School Psychologists

The median school psychologist salary in the United States is $95,990 per year ($46.15/hour). Salaries range from $63,070 at the entry level to $142,330+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 63,940 school psychologist jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 0.7% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 Β· Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Also known asSchool PsychologistSchool CounselorGuidance Counselor
Median Salary
$95,990
per year
Hourly Rate
$46.15
per hour
Employment
63,940
jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile
$63,070
25th percentile
$77,470
Median
$95,990
75th percentile
$120,310
90th percentile
$142,330

Job Growth (2024-2034)

+0.7%
Slower than average

Annual Openings

3,800
jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

Master's degree

Training Needed

Internship/residency

School Psychologist Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for school psychologists.

School psychologists are the district-embedded psychology function β€” cognitive and academic assessment, special education eligibility, behavior intervention, crisis response, and consultation with teachers and families. Every district needs them, and most districts are short-staffed. Compensation follows a K-12 salary schedule with lane advancement for education, plus stipends for testing overloads and BCBA/NCSP add-ons. Entry $58-75k; established $75-98k; senior / lead $95-125k; district coordinator / supervisor $110-155k. Suburban and metro districts pay 20-40% above rural; California, New York, and Massachusetts pay the highest.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

Cognitive and academic assessment
WISC-V, WJ-IV, KABC-II, DAS-II, WIAT-4, KTEA-3. Score, interpret, integrate with observational and background data, and translate results into eligibility and IEP recommendations.
Special education eligibility & IDEA process
Full and Individual Evaluation, IEP team facilitation, eligibility determination under IDEA categories (SLD, OHI, ED, ASD, ID). Legally defensible reports and evaluations.
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) & BIP
Behavior-analytic assessment, hypothesis testing, function-based intervention plans. Coordinate with BCBAs in districts that have them.
MTSS / RTI consultation
Multi-Tiered System of Support consultation with school teams; use progress monitoring data to guide intervention selection and intensity.
Counseling & mental health support
Brief solution-focused, CBT-based, and trauma-informed counseling with students. Screening for suicidality, self-harm, and abuse; mandated reporting.
Crisis response (PREPaRE, ASIST)
Suicide risk assessment, threat assessment, and post-crisis recovery. Every school psych needs the PREPaRE curriculum in this era.
Consultation with teachers & families
The unsexy skill that determines long-term impact. Coaching teachers on classroom-level interventions and coaching families through IEP decisions and behavior plans.

How to Become a School Psychologist

  1. 1
    Earn a bachelor's in psychology, education, or a related field
    Strong GPA (3.5+) and coursework in developmental and abnormal psychology plus statistics. Undergraduate research or applied experience in schools is a competitive advantage.
  2. 2
    Complete a specialist-level (Ed.S. or Psy.S.) program in school psychology
    60+ semester hours plus 1,200-hour internship (600 in a school setting). Common programs: NYU, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Fordham, Illinois State, Cal State system.
  3. 3
    Complete the internship and pass the Praxis School Psychology (5402) exam
    The internship is a paid year in a school district. The Praxis is the national exam; passing score varies by state but ~147+ is common.
  4. 4
    Obtain state credential
    Every state licenses school psychologists β€” the credential name varies (School Psychologist Credential in California, Certified School Psychologist in most others). Meet state background and fingerprinting requirements.
  5. 5
    Advance with NCSP and specialty credentials
    The NCSP (Nationally Certified School Psychologist) is the field's premier voluntary credential and often triggers pay bumps. Add BCBA if you want to lead behavior work, or a doctoral (Ph.D. / Psy.D.) if you want to move into private practice, university teaching, or district-level leadership.

Career Progression

School Psychologist (Entry)
0-3 yrs$58-75k + benefits + pension
  • β€’Cover 1-3 schools depending on district
  • β€’Conduct 40-70 full evaluations per year
  • β€’Facilitate IEP eligibility meetings
  • β€’Provide short-term counseling and consultation
Next: Full/Senior School Psychologist at 3-5 years.
Established School Psychologist
3-10 yrs$75-98k + benefits + pension
  • β€’Steady 60-90 evaluation caseload with complex diagnostic questions
  • β€’Lead FBA and BIP development for high-need students
  • β€’Precept interns and practicum students
  • β€’Contribute to district MTSS and PBIS teams
Next: Lead Psychologist / Assessment Coordinator at 8-12 years.
Lead / Senior School Psychologist / Assessment Coordinator
8-15 yrs$95-125k + benefits + pension
  • β€’Provide clinical supervision to 3-6 school psychologists
  • β€’Own high-stakes evaluations and due-process cases
  • β€’Coordinate with district special education, MTSS, and mental health leads
  • β€’Author district assessment policies and staff development
Next: District Coordinator / Director of Psychological Services at 12-18 years.
Director / Coordinator of Psychological Services
12+ yrs$110-155k + benefits + pension
  • β€’Districtwide leadership of the school psych function (10-40 staff)
  • β€’Own compliance with IDEA, Section 504, and state education codes
  • β€’Budget $1-8M for staff, contracted services, and assessment materials
  • β€’Report to Director of Special Education or Assistant Superintendent
Next: Assistant Superintendent for Special Education, university faculty, or private-practice ownership.

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 13 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Walk me through a full and individual evaluation for a student suspected of a specific learning disability.technical
STAR with clinical detail. Situation: 4th grader with reading difficulties, RTI Tier 3 without adequate response. Task: your role. Action: review records, teacher and parent interviews, classroom observation, cognitive assessment (WISC-V), academic achievement (WJ-IV), a curriculum-based measure, and pattern-of-strengths-and-weaknesses analysis (or the state's chosen SLD identification method). Result: eligibility determination, IEP recommendations, and a specific intervention plan with progress monitoring. Interviewers want to hear rigor plus a clear tie to intervention.
Q2. How do you conduct a suicide risk assessment on a student?situational
Follow your district's protocol; PREPaRE and Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) are common. Confidential interview with the student β€” ideation, plan, means, intent, history, protective factors. Involve family unless doing so would create additional risk. Coordinate with school counselor and administration. Contact community mental health for a formal risk assessment. Never leave the student alone. Document everything. Mandated reporting if abuse is a factor. Follow up on return to school with a safety plan.
Q3. Describe a difficult IEP meeting.behavioral
STAR. Situation: family wanted a private-school placement the district didn't feel was warranted. Task: keep the meeting productive and legally defensible. Action: reviewed the data, acknowledged the family's concerns, offered alternative placement options within the LRE continuum, and asked for a follow-up meeting after they had time to consult their advocate. Result: the family accepted a district placement with a specific service package after mediation. Interviewers screen for procedural fluency and de-escalation skill.
Q4. Why school psychology and not clinical psychology?culture
The honest answer that lands: you want to embed in a system where you can affect a student's environment β€” teachers, classroom, family, and school β€” not just clinical hours. You want steady work with kids you know over years, not sporadic 50-minute sessions with strangers. Avoid saying 'better hours' as the only reason. Name a specific mentor, internship experience, or population that shaped the choice.
Q5. Where do you see your career in 5 years?closer
Show that you understand the tracks: senior IC, assessment coordinator, district coordinator, or private practice (usually with doctoral training). Say which you're leaning toward and why. Naming NCSP, BCBA, or doctoral goals signals concrete planning.

Resume Template β€” School Psychologist (0-3 yrs)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

School Psychologist (0-3 yrs)
  • β–ΈProvided school psychology services across 3 elementary schools serving 1,850 students in an urban district.
  • β–ΈCompleted 68 full and individual evaluations in FY24; zero legally cited procedural errors on due-process review.
  • β–ΈNCSP + California PPS Credential in School Psychology; Ed.S. from [university].
  • β–Έ$78k base + district benefits + CalSTRS pension enrollment + $2,500 NCSP stipend.

What Gets You Rejected

  • βœ—No plan for NCSP within 2-3 years β€” most districts increasingly expect it.
  • βœ—Weak assessment skills β€” cannot administer, score, and interpret the core cognitive and academic batteries independently.
  • βœ—Cannot write a legally defensible eligibility report; poor documentation is a due-process liability.
  • βœ—Uncomfortable in confrontational IEP meetings or with attorney-represented families.
  • βœ—No crisis training (PREPaRE or ASIST) in an era of school shootings and student mental health crises.
  • βœ—Weak consultation skills β€” cannot coach teachers or families and defaults to direct service only.
  • βœ—Rigid clinical style β€” unable to adjust to the school culture, timelines, and legal framework.

Salary Negotiation Levers

  • βœ“NCSP typically triggers a $2,000-5,000 annual stipend on the district salary schedule.
  • βœ“BCBA credential adds another $3,000-8,000 in districts that formally recognize behavior specialty.
  • βœ“Doctoral training (Ph.D. / Psy.D.) opens the highest salary lanes on the district schedule.
  • βœ“Metro cost-of-living districts (SF Bay Area, NYC, DC, LA, Boston) pay 20-40% above rural.
  • βœ“Shortage stipends and sign-on bonuses of $3,000-15,000 are increasingly common β€” many districts have declared school psychology a shortage area.
  • βœ“Pension is the long-term wealth driver β€” CalSTRS, NYSTRS, and TRS all vest in 5 years.
  • βœ“Loan repayment β€” federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness and state programs pay $17,500-77,500.

School Psychologist Resume Review β€” $29

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  • βœ“ Missing skills / keywords flagged
  • βœ“ Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
  • βœ“ 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it

School Psychologist Career Kit β€” $19

  • βœ“ All 13 interview questions with expert answers
  • βœ“ 6 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
  • βœ“ Interview format intel for 6 top employers
  • βœ“ 3 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
  • βœ“ Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
  • βœ“ 30–60–90 day plan for your first role
  • βœ“ Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
  • βœ“ Detailed salary negotiation script
  • βœ“ Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
  • βœ“ Downloadable PDF for offline access
  • βœ“ Instant access, no expiration, no subscription
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School Psychologist Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) β†’

Salary Map β€” Click a state for details

$61K
$128Kβ–  No data

Top Paying States

California
$128K
+33%
Colorado
$125K
+30%
New Mexico
$110K
+15%
Maryland
$110K
+14%
Washington
$109K
+13%
District of Columbia
$108K
+12%
New York
$107K
+11%
Oregon
$106K
+11%
Connecticut
$101K
+5%
Georgia
$99K
+3%
Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.
StateMedianvs. National
California$127,780+33.1%
Colorado$124,770+30.0%
New Mexico$110,360+15.0%
Maryland$109,700+14.3%
Washington$108,780+13.3%
District of Columbia$107,500+12.0%
New York$106,550+11.0%
Oregon$106,070+10.5%
Connecticut$100,600+4.8%
Georgia$99,110+3.3%
1–10 of 51

School Psychologist Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs. National
El Centro, CA$145,400+51.5%
Boulder, CO$143,020+49.0%
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$139,400+45.2%
Merced, CA$133,230+38.8%
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$131,920+37.4%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$131,070+36.5%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$130,540+36.0%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$130,520+36.0%
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$129,610+35.0%
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$129,340+34.7%
1–10 of 213
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.
How does this compare to pro athletes?
A school psychologist earning $95,990/year would need 621 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 667 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.
See all sports & celebrity salaries β†’
πŸ“ˆ See how school psychologist salaries have changed over the past decade.
View School Psychologist salary trend (2011–2024) β†’