Science · Career brief

School Psychologists

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

School Psychologists at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

$95,990

High national median pay

2025 national median. Top quarter for pay among careers on ChooseField.

2Demand

0.8%

Slow projected growth

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Below the middle of ChooseField careers for growth.

3Openings

3,400

Moderate opening volume

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Near the middle of ChooseField careers for openings.

4Route in

Master's degree

Long formal preparation is part of the path

Master's degree. Prior related work is not typically required.

5The work

People-centered

Helping, teaching, or working directly with people matters

Compile and interpret students' test results, along with information from teachers and parents, to diagnose conditions and to help assess eligibility for special services.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

Training continues through internship/residency after the degree path.

ChooseField take

The standout national signal is pay; it ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if people-centered work appeals to you and you are comfortable with a master's-degree path. Main tradeoff: Training continues through internship/residency after the degree path.

Before choosing, compare:Historians Anthropologists and Archeologists Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare School Psychologists with another field Explore rankings in Science Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

National median pay (2025)

$95,990

A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.

2025–2035 outlook

0.8%employment growth3,400openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

Master's degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

64,000

Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · School psychologists (19-3034).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

Compile and interpret students' test results, along with information from teachers and parents, to diagnose conditions and to help assess eligibility for special services.
Maintain student records, including special education reports, confidential records, records of services provided, and behavioral data.
Select, administer, and score psychological tests.
Report any pertinent information to the proper authorities in cases of child endangerment, neglect, or abuse.

Decision-changing realities

What could make this a poor fit

Training continues through internship/residency after the degree path.
BLS projects essentially flat employment (0.8%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Getting Information4.5
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.2
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.2
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.2
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.0

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Social6.8
Investigative5.0
Conventional4.0
Artistic3.3
Enterprising2.8
Realistic1.0

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Psychology Therapy and Counseling Sociology and Anthropology Mathematics

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Run a small investigation with a written hypothesis, observations or public data, and a conclusion that states what the evidence cannot prove.
Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

Pay and demand: reading the benchmark

The pay and outlook figures describe School psychologists nationally. They do not establish the salary or number of vacancies available in your area.

Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.

Before choosing a program

O*NET lists Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?

BLS does not assign a related-experience requirement to the occupation. Employers may still ask for placements, supervised practice, a portfolio, or experience with particular tools. Check entry-level vacancies separately from experienced roles.

What should I check before paying for training?

Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.

Adjacent options

Compare before committing

The useful question is not whether one field wins overall, but what changes when you choose a nearby path. Explore the full career guides for Historians, Anthropologists and Archeologists, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, Economists.