New Mexico School Counselors

New Mexico is beginning to attract some of the best and brightest individuals to the New Mexico school counseling career.

In the '05-'06 school year, New Mexico ranked 36th in the nation for average teacher salary at $41,637. New Mexico school counselors will typically earn $5,000 to $10,000 more each year than teachers.

In addition, New Mexico school counselors are playing a larger role in steering New Mexico public education into the future. School counselors are being called upon to provide their expertise to help develop new curriculum and educational programs.

The current trend in public education is to incorporate an understanding of student psychology to include processes of breaking down learning barriers in addition to providing the information students need to be successful later in life.

In a January 9th, 2008 press release, Education Secretary Veronica C. Garcia commented on New Mexico's eduation quality scores for 2007:

"The past four years of New Mexico's Making School Work school reform policies are turning our educational system around," said Education Secretary Veronica C. Garcia. "Our highest grades continue to be for the standards, assessment, and accountability systems, early childhood education, college and career readiness, and having highly qualified teachers in all of our classrooms."

The future holds many unknowns, but what is certain is job security and increasing salaries for jobs that are proven to add value to the educational system. For this reason, many of New Mexico's most progressive thinking will continue to migrate into the school counseling career.

Contact schools offering school counseling or mental health counseling programs and learn how you can begin a career as a New Mexico School Counselor.

Whether you are from Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Rio Rancho, Roswell, or anywhere else across the state, you will find school counseling a highly rewarding and respected career.

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