South Dakota School Counselor
School counselors in South Dakota earn a median salary of $52,450 per year (BLS, May 2024) and support students from pre-K through 12th grade. The state projects about 70 job openings annually through 2032. You’ll need a master’s degree in school counseling, supervised fieldwork, and an Education Specialist Certificate from the South Dakota Department of Education 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.
South Dakota Links
South Dakota’s schools serve roughly 140,000 students across a mix of urban districts, rural communities, and a notable number of tribal and Bureau of Indian Education schools — and the counselors who work in them take on a wide range of responsibilities. If you’re exploring this career, here’s what you need to know about the work, the job market, and what counselors earn in the state.
What School Counselors Do in South Dakota
South Dakota school counselors follow the South Dakota Comprehensive Counseling Model, a framework developed by the state’s Department of Education that aligns closely with the ASCA National Model. The goal is a data-informed, comprehensive program that supports students academically, socially, and emotionally — not just crisis response.
Consider what a typical week might look like for a high school counselor in Sioux Falls. On Monday, she meets with a junior who’s struggling to keep his grades up while working 25 hours a week. She helps him map out a realistic course load for senior year and connects him with a scholarship he didn’t know existed. By Wednesday, she’s facilitating a classroom lesson on post-graduation planning for sophomores. By Friday, she’s coordinating with a student’s teachers and family after a mental health concern was flagged. That’s the full scope of the job — academic planning, career development, and social-emotional support, often running simultaneously.
Elementary counselors in South Dakota work similarly, but the focus shifts. A counselor at a school in Aberdeen might run small-group sessions on social skills, check in with a student whose home situation has changed, and consult with a teacher about a child who’s having trouble transitioning between activities. The balance of responsibilities looks different at every grade level, but the underlying work stays consistent: meet students where they are and help them move forward.
South Dakota also has a notable number of tribal and Bureau of Indian Education schools, and counselors working in those settings often develop deep expertise in culturally responsive practices. South Dakota has a higher-than-average youth suicide rate, which means mental health support and crisis prevention are especially central to the counselor’s role across the state.
A New Suicide Prevention Program Is Taking Shape in South Dakota Schools
School counselors can’t be everywhere at once. But by enlisting the help of students through a program called Hope Squad, they’re increasing the number of eyes and ears that are trained to spot struggling students and help them secure the support they need.
Hope Squad, which operates in 41 states and Canada, works like this: school counselors and educators enlist student team members who, in turn, become trusted allies for fellow students. These students receive training to recognize the signs of depression and suicidal ideation and help their peers turn to them or trusted adults when needed.
With many school counselors citing increasing difficulty addressing the mental health needs of students, particularly since the COVID pandemic, the Hope Squad program is a welcomed sight. In addition to helping counselors and educators become more effective at getting help for students experiencing mental health crises, it empowers the student members of the program and provides them with a strong sense of pride in helping their peers.
Hope Squad has become a bright light in South Dakota, which has experienced rising rates of suicide among youth in recent years. Today, suicide is the leading cause of death among young people aged 10-29 in the state.
Hope Squad is part of a larger effort by the state to help battle the suicide epidemic. House Bill 1079, which was introduced and signed into law in 2023, spearheaded $2 million to allow the Department of Health to provide grants aimed at supporting mental health among the younger adult population.
Part of these funds were used to purchase the curriculum and training program to support Hope Squad in nine schools in the state. The money will also be used to develop programs focused on suicide loss and response planning throughout K-12 schools.
Job Outlook in South Dakota
South Dakota projects about 70 average annual job openings for school counselors through 2032 (based on current projections), with employment expected to grow about 10% over that period. That growth reflects both retirements and new demand, particularly in districts that are actively working to improve their counselor-to-student ratios.
The state currently employs about 880 school counselors. ASCA recommends a ratio of 1 counselor per 250 students (many South Dakota districts don’t yet meet this benchmark), which means long-term demand for new counselors is likely to stay steady. Rural and tribal districts in particular have historically had difficulty filling positions and may offer signing incentives or student loan repayment to attract candidates.
The median salary for South Dakota school counselors is $52,450 per year — see the full breakdown in the salary section below.
School Counselor Salary in South Dakota
At $52,450, the South Dakota median sits about $12,000 below the national median of $65,140 (based on current BLS data). That gap reflects both the rural character of much of the state and the teacher pay scales that school counselor salaries tend to track closely. Counselors in Rapid City earn somewhat more than the statewide figure, as the metro table below shows.
| Percentile | Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $44,020 |
| 25th | $48,470 |
| Median (50th) | $52,450 |
| 75th | $61,040 |
| 90th | $68,190 |
| Metro Area | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Rapid City, SD | $54,530 |
| Sioux Falls, SD-MN | $51,420 |
| East SD nonmetropolitan area | $51,830 |
| West SD nonmetropolitan area | $52,170 |
Salary data from BLS, May 2024; figures may vary by year and dataset. Metro estimates may vary due to sample size and reporting differences.
- Steady openings — South Dakota projects about 70 annual job openings through 2032, with roughly 10% overall employment growth expected.
- Varied day-to-day work — Counselors support students academically, socially, and emotionally, with the balance shifting significantly by grade level and school setting.
- Mental health is central — South Dakota’s higher-than-average youth suicide rate means crisis prevention and mental health support are core parts of the counselor’s role in many schools.
- Below-average pay, with rural incentives — The median salary of $52,450 is about $12,000 below the national median, but rural and tribal districts often offer additional incentives to attract candidates.
Ready to explore the path to becoming a South Dakota school counselor?
