School Psychologists
What School Psychologists Do
Diagnose and implement individual or schoolwide interventions or strategies to address educational, behavioral, or developmental issues that adversely impact educational functioning in a school. May address student learning and behavioral problems and counsel students or families. May design and implement performance plans, and evaluate performance. May consult with other school-based personnel.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Internship/residency
- Self-employed
- 5.3%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 5 of 5Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- Job training
- Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Psychologyimportance 4.9/5
- Therapy and Counselingimportance 4.5/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 4.4/5
- Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 4.3/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.1/5
- Administrativeimportance 4.0/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.7/5
- Law and Governmentimportance 3.3/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled5.0/5
- E-Mail4.9/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.8/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.6/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.6/5
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.5/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors99% skill match
- Clinical and Counseling Psychologists98% skill match
- Genetic Counselors98% skill match
- Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs98% skill match
- Special Education Teachers, Preschool98% skill match
- Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education98% skill match
- Paralegals and Legal Assistants98% skill match
- Credit Counselors98% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.9/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.8/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.8/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.6/5
- Persuasionimportance 3.5/5
- Negotiationimportance 3.4/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.4/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Other Software Used
- Centris Group IEP Direct
- Centris Group RTIm Direct
- Chalkware Education Solutions IEPPro
- Email software
- Ewing Solutions QuickWriter
- Global Education Technologies EXCENT
- Google Meet
- Instructional software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Empathy
- Cooperation
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Sincerity
- Integrity
- Social Orientation
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- SocialHigh
- InvestigativeHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- ArtisticMedium
- EnterprisingLow
- RealisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where school psychologists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Worcester, MA3.35× national avg
- 2Amherst Town-Northampton, MA3.11× national avg
- 3Rochester, NY2.88× national avg
- 4Merced, CA2.75× national avg
- 5Aguadilla, PR2.65× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Clinical and Counseling PsychologistsLateral Move
- Marriage and Family TherapistsCareer Change
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and AdvisorsCareer Change
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social WorkersCareer Change
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Industrial and Organizational Psychology
- Capella University (Minneapolis, MN)grads earn ~$66,014
- Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA)grads earn ~$51,976
- National University (San Diego, CA)grads earn ~$78,497
- Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, FL)grads earn ~$77,258
- Pepperdine University (Malibu, CA)grads earn ~$70,729