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Role hub · School Psychologists

School Psychologist: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of school psychologists earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$95,990
Hourly
$46.15
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

School Psychologists diagnose and implement individual or schoolwide interventions or strategies to address educational, behavioral, or developmental issues that adversely impact educational functioning in a school. The median pay is $95,990 a year ($46.15 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a post-master's certificate (58% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$95,990
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
63,940
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 5 of 5
extensive preparation
Most common education
Post-Master's Certificate
58% of workers
Explore the role

Every page for School Psychologists

SalarySchool Psychologist salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →How to becomeSchool Psychologist how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

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The work

What school psychologists do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Report any pertinent information to the proper authorities in cases of child endangerment, neglect, or abuse.
  2. Interpret test results and prepare psychological reports for teachers, administrators, and parents.
  3. Maintain student records, including special education reports, confidential records, records of services provided, and behavioral data.
  4. Compile and interpret students' test results, along with information from teachers and parents, to diagnose conditions and to help assess eligibility for special services.
  5. Collaborate with other educational professionals to develop teaching strategies and school programs.
  6. Select, administer, and score psychological tests.
  7. Assess an individual child's needs, limitations, and potential, using observation, review of school records, and consultation with parents and school personnel.
  8. Collect and analyze data to evaluate the effectiveness of academic programs and other services, such as behavioral management systems.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreSpeakingcoreActive ListeningcoreSocial PerceptivenessWritingCritical ThinkingComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingMonitoring

Knowledge areas: Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, Education and Training, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Sociology and Anthropology.

Tools and technology

Software school psychologists use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Instructional softwareComputer based training software
  • Test scoring softwareOptical character reader OCR or scanning software
  • Testing softwareAnalytical or scientific software
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft PowerPointPresentation softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft WordWord processing softwareHot technology
  • ZoomVideo conferencing softwareHot technology
  • Centris Group IEP DirectData base user interface and query software
  • Centris Group RTIm DirectData base user interface and query software
  • Chalkware Education Solutions IEPProData base user interface and query software
  • Email softwareElectronic mail software

Also called: Autism Consultant, Bilingual School Psychologist, Challenging Behavior Consultant, Early Intervention School Psychologist, Educational Diagnostician, School Neuropsychologist.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).