School Counselor resume example. Plus the keywords recruiters search for.
A school counselor resume that shows real outcomes for students — graduation, college and career plans, attendance and well-being — with the certification and counseling keywords districts search for.
Reviewed by Nazir Elmurodov · Updated
/ The example
School Counselor resume example.
Andre Coleman
Professional School Counselor, High School
Atlanta, GA · andre.coleman@email.com · (404) 555-0148
Summary
School counselor with 7 years in middle and high schools, working from the ASCA National Model. I lead college and career readiness for 400+ students, support students in crisis and use data to decide where counseling time goes.
Experience
School Counselor, Grades 9–12, Red Clay Ridge High School · Jul 2022 – Present
- • Manage a caseload of 420 students for academic advising, college and career planning, and social-emotional counseling
- • Raised FAFSA completion among seniors from 52% to 74% in two years with class workshops and family nights
- • Coordinate 504 plans for 35 students and attend IEP meetings for students on my caseload
- • Lead suicide risk screening and crisis intervention with the school psychologist and social worker, following district protocol
- • Run small-group counseling on test anxiety and grief each semester, plus individual counseling by referral
School Counselor, Grades 6–8, Dogwood Trace Middle School · Aug 2019 – Jun 2022
- • Taught classroom lessons on study skills, bullying prevention and career exploration to about 650 students a year
- • Started a check-in mentoring program through MTSS; chronic absenteeism among participants fell by 30%
- • Built 8th-to-9th grade transition plans with the high school counseling team, including family engagement nights
Education & certifications
M.Ed. School Counseling (CACREP-accredited), Oconee Valley University, 2019 · School counseling certification, Georgia (P–12)
Skills
ASCA National Model · College and career readiness · Academic advising · Social-emotional learning (SEL) · Crisis intervention · 504 plans · MTSS · Individual counseling · Naviance · PowerSchool · Confidentiality
Andre Coleman
Professional School Counselor, High School
andre.coleman@email.com · Atlanta, GA
(404) 555-0148
Summary
School counselor with 7 years in middle and high schools, working from the ASCA National Model. I lead college and career readiness for 400+ students, support students in crisis and use data to decide where counseling time goes.
Experience
School Counselor, Grades 9–12 — Red Clay Ridge High School
Jul 2022 – Present
• Manage a caseload of 420 students for academic advising, college and career planning, and social-emotional counseling
• Raised FAFSA completion among seniors from 52% to 74% in two years with class workshops and family nights
• Coordinate 504 plans for 35 students and attend IEP meetings for students on my caseload
• Lead suicide risk screening and crisis intervention with the school psychologist and social worker, following district protocol
• Run small-group counseling on test anxiety and grief each semester, plus individual counseling by referral
School Counselor, Grades 6–8 — Dogwood Trace Middle School
Aug 2019 – Jun 2022
• Taught classroom lessons on study skills, bullying prevention and career exploration to about 650 students a year
• Started a check-in mentoring program through MTSS; chronic absenteeism among participants fell by 30%
• Built 8th-to-9th grade transition plans with the high school counseling team, including family engagement nights
Education
Oconee Valley University
M.Ed. School Counseling (CACREP-accredited) · 2019
Certifications
School counseling certification, Georgia (P–12)
Skills
ASCA National Model, College and career readiness, Academic advising, Social-emotional learning (SEL), Crisis intervention, 504 plans, MTSS, Individual counseling, Naviance, PowerSchool, Confidentiality
Why it works
It puts degree and certification where principals look first, states caseload and grade levels plainly, and measures counseling with school-wide data — FAFSA completion, attendance, plans — instead of describing a typical day.
Use this as your starting point
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/ Summary examples
Three summary examples. Pick the one closest to you.
Two or three lines: your level, your field and one result.
- New counselor
Newly certified school counselor with a CACREP-accredited M.Ed. and a 600-hour internship at a high school, where I ran two small groups and helped 90 seniors with college applications.
- Experienced
School counselor with 7 years in middle and high schools. I manage a 420-student caseload and raised senior FAFSA completion from 52% to 74%.
- Lead counselor
Counseling department chair with 14 years in secondary schools who leads a team of 5, built a data-driven program on the ASCA National Model and coordinates the school's crisis response team.
More for other jobs and situations (no experience, career change, senior): resume summary examples.
/ Bullet points
Bullet point examples. From duty to result.
Turn duties into results: what you did, how, and what changed.
College access
Instead of: Helped seniors with college
Write: Raised senior FAFSA completion from 52% to 74% in two years with class workshops and family nights
Attendance
Instead of: Worked on attendance
Write: Started an MTSS check-in mentoring program that cut chronic absenteeism among participants by 30%
Crisis response
Instead of: Handled crises
Write: Led suicide risk screening and crisis intervention with the school psychologist and social worker, following district protocol
Student support
Instead of: Managed 504 plans
Write: Coordinated 504 plans for 35 students and joined IEP meetings for students on a 420-student caseload
Groups
Instead of: Ran counseling groups
Write: Ran small-group counseling on test anxiety and grief each semester, with pre- and post-surveys to check progress
Transitions
Instead of: Helped with high school transition
Write: Built 8th-to-9th grade transition plans with the high school team and hosted family engagement nights
/ Keywords
Keywords and skills for school counselors.
These come up often in school counselor job posts. Include only the ones you can back up in an interview, and use the exact wording from the post you're applying to.
- School counseling certification
- ASCA National Model
- College and career readiness
- Academic advising
- Social-emotional learning (SEL)
- Crisis intervention
- Suicide risk screening
- 504 plans
- IEP
- MTSS
- Small-group counseling
- Individual counseling
- FAFSA
- Naviance
- PowerSchool
- Family engagement
- Confidentiality
/ ATS tips
ATS tips for school counselors.
Lead with certification and degree
Your state school counseling certification and your master's degree should be visible at a glance.
Give caseload and grades
"420 students, grades 9–12" tells a principal the scale and setting of your work in one line.
Use school-level data
FAFSA completion, attendance, graduation, course completion or referrals show your program's impact without exposing any student.
Show the three domains
Academic, college and career, and social-emotional work all matter. Include at least one bullet for each.
Name your framework and tools
ASCA National Model, MTSS, Naviance and PowerSchool are common in district postings — use the ones you've really worked with.
How does your school counselor resume compare?
Free ATS score, missing keywords and fixes in about 10 seconds.
/ Questions
School Counselor resume FAQ.
Writing the cover letter too? See Andre's cover letter, annotated
What credentials should a school counselor resume show?
Your state's school counselor certification or license and your master's degree in school counseling, which most states require. If you also hold the National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential from NBCC or a state counseling license, list them too.
How do I show results without sharing student information?
Use group or school-level data — percentages, totals and changes over time — and never names, cases or details that could identify a student.
Should I mention the ASCA National Model?
Yes, if your program follows it. If your school earned ASCA's Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) designation, say so and describe your part in it.
How do I move from teaching to school counseling?
Lead with your counseling degree, internship hours and certification, then show the teaching experience that carries over: relationships with students, family communication and using data.
How long should a school counselor resume be?
One to two pages. Two is fine if you have leadership, crisis team or program-building work that's relevant to the role.