North Dakota School Counselor
School counselors in North Dakota earn a median salary of $60,330 per year and support students from pre-K through 12th grade. The state projects about 60 job openings annually through 2032. You’ll need a master’s degree in school counseling, supervised fieldwork, and credentials from two state agencies to practice.
- Top Picks
Featured Universities with School Counseling Programs
#1
Walden University
MS in School Counseling - General Program. Click here to contact Walden University and request information about their programs.
#2
University of Denver
Earn a Master's degree in School Counseling online from the University of Denver. Learn from doctoral-level faculty in live classes and gain experience through mock counseling and in-field training. No GRE required. Click here to contact University of Denver and request information about their programs.
#3
Campbellsville University
Online Master of Arts in Education in School Counseling Click here to contact Campbellsville University and request information about their programs.
#4
Sacred Heart University
Online Master of Arts in School Counseling Click here to contact Sacred Heart University and request information about their programs.
#5
Winthrop University
M.Ed. in Counseling Development - School Counseling Concentration Click here to contact Winthrop University and request information about their programs.
#6
Auburn University at Montgomery
Education Specialist in Counseling- School Counseling. Click here to contact Auburn University at Montgomery and request information about their programs.
#7
Butler University
Master of Science in School Counseling. Click here to contact Butler University and request information about their programs.
#8
University of West Alabama
Master of Education: School Counseling Click here to contact University of West Alabama and request information about their programs.
North Dakota Links
North Dakota employs about 770 school counselors statewide, working across elementary, middle, and high schools in both urban districts and rural communities spread across a geographically large state. The demand for qualified counselors is real — and growing.
What School Counselors Do in North Dakota
North Dakota Century Code 15.1-06-19 establishes recommended counselor-to-student staffing ratios for public schools, with implementation varying by district. It’s one of the few states where the legislature has put counselor staffing language into statute at all — a signal that the role carries real weight in the state’s educational framework.
On the ground, ND school counselors follow the ASCA National Model, which organizes their work into three domains: academic development, career development, and social/emotional development. What that looks like day-to-day depends on the school level.
Think about a seventh-grader in Minot whose grades have dropped sharply after a family disruption. His teachers notice the change but don’t have the bandwidth to dig into what’s driving it. His counselor does. She meets with him one-on-one, checks in with his teachers, and coordinates a short-term academic support plan while connecting his family to community resources. That’s responsive counseling — and it’s a core part of the job at every grade level.
At the high school level, the work shifts toward college and career planning. A junior at a rural school near Bismarck might be the first in her family to apply to a four-year university. Her counselor helps her build an application list, navigate the FAFSA, and identify scholarships she wouldn’t have found on her own. In a state where many students come from small towns without abundant resources, that guidance matters.
North Dakota schools also have the option to fill a portion of their counselor FTE requirement with career advisors — up to one-third under NDCC 15.1-06-19 — which means school counselors in ND often coordinate closely with those advisors, particularly at the secondary level. If you’re exploring school counseling master’s programs, make sure the program is approved by the state before you enroll.
Job Outlook in North Dakota
North Dakota projects 6.9% growth in school counselor employment from 2022 to 2032 — a pace that reflects genuine demand across the state’s districts. About 60 openings are expected annually through that period, a mix of new positions and turnover in existing roles.
Shortages have been documented across the state, particularly in rural districts where recruiting and retaining credentialed counselors is harder. That makes the job market more favorable for candidates willing to work outside the state’s larger metros — and in some cases, districts offer additional incentives to attract applicants to harder-to-fill positions.
Efforts are underway to strengthen the pipeline. The Mental Health Excellence in Schools Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate in May 2025 by Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) along with Senators Shaheen and Young, would authorize federal funding to cover graduate program costs for students training to become school counselors, psychologists, and social workers. The bill is pending review by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. If passed, it could meaningfully expand the pool of credentialed counselors entering North Dakota schools.
A New Bill Looks to Bolster the School Counselor Pipeline in North Dakota
The Mental Health Excellence in Schools Act, introduced May 22, 2025, would authorize the U.S. Department of Education to cover graduate program costs at partner institutions — targeting the shortage of school counselors, psychologists, and social workers directly. The bill has backing from the American Counseling Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the American Psychological Association. It awaits action in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
School Counselor Salary in North Dakota
The median annual salary for school counselors in North Dakota is $60,330, which runs about $4,800 below the national salary figures for this occupation. That gap is real, though the cost of living in most of the state — outside Fargo — partially offsets it. Here’s how salaries break down across the earnings distribution:
| Percentile | Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $46,400 |
| 25th | $52,760 |
| Median (50th) | $60,330 |
| 75th | $69,560 |
| 90th | $84,380 |
Metro-area salaries vary noticeably across the state. Minot comes in highest, followed by Bismarck, with Fargo and Grand Forks running somewhat lower — though Fargo’s larger labor market may still appeal to candidates comparing options.
| Metro Area | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Minot, ND | $72,450 |
| Bismarck, ND | $69,200 |
| West ND nonmetropolitan area | $63,250 |
| East ND nonmetropolitan area | $59,910 |
| Fargo, ND-MN | $56,940 |
| Grand Forks, ND-MN | $54,640 |
If you’re weighing whether North Dakota makes sense financially, comparing your target metro’s salary against local housing costs is worth the time. Both Bismarck and Minot consistently rank among the more affordable mid-sized cities in the region.
- Steady demand — North Dakota projects about 60 school counselor openings annually through 2032, driven by both growth and turnover across the state.
- Two-agency credentialing — ND requires both an educator’s license from ESPB and a counseling credential from DPI, so understanding both steps early saves time later.
- Statutory staffing language — NDCC 15.1-06-19 establishes recommended counselor-to-student ratios in state code, with implementation varying by district.
- Salary below national median — At $60,330, ND trails the national figure, though Bismarck and Minot run higher, and the cost of living across much of the state is lower than comparable regions.
- Active pipeline investment — Federal legislation pending as of 2025 could fund graduate school costs for future counselors, which may ease the shortage over time.
Ready to explore your path to becoming a North Dakota school counselor?
