Career profile · SOC 19-3034

School Psychologists

Investigate processes of learning and teaching and develop psychological principles and techniques applicable to educational problems, using knowledge of cognitive, social, and developmental psychology.

Median salary
$86,930
per year
Growth outlook
Little Or No Change
BLS 10-yr
Education
Doctoral or professional degree
AI exposure
3.6/10
automation risk

Salary distribution (US)

Real salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The p10–p90 spread tells you more than the median alone.

Bottom 10%
$51,200
25th %ile
$67,680
Median
$86,930
75th %ile
$113,030
Top 10%
$137,590

Top skills

Active Listening Social Perceptiveness Speaking Critical Thinking Reading Comprehension Writing Complex Problem Solving Judgment and Decision Making Service Orientation Monitoring

Knowledge you'll build

  • Psychology
  • Education and Training
  • Therapy and Counseling
  • English Language
  • Sociology and Anthropology
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Law and Government
  • Mathematics

A day in the life

Your morning might start by administering a cognitive assessment to a second grader referred for possible learning disabilities, carefully noting responses and behaviors during testing. By mid-morning you are sitting in a team meeting with parents, teachers, and special-education coordinators, interpreting assessment results and recommending whether the student qualifies for an IEP. Afternoons could include a crisis intervention with a middle schooler who is experiencing anxiety, a consultation with a teacher about behavioral strategies for a disruptive classroom, or running a social-skills group for students on the autism spectrum. The work requires empathy, precision, and advocacy, and the impact of helping a struggling child get the right support can change the trajectory of their entire educational experience.

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