SY Secondary School Counselor

school counselor

the secondary school plays a dual role in promoting student success through a comprehensive counseling and/or advisory program that supports academic achievement, career readiness, social-emotional wellness, and graduation completion. In alignment with the new mexico administrative code (nmac) 6.63.6, the counselor provides services that reflect best practices in school counseling while also monitoring academic progress, coordinating interventions, and ensuring all students remain on track for post-secondary success.

essential duties and responsibilities:

• track student academic performance, attendance, behavior, and credit attainment for grades 7–12.
• develop and maintain individual next step plans for students (as required by nmac 6.29.1), ensuring timely review and updates.
• collaborate with administration and instructional staff to identify at-risk students and implement appropriate interventions.
• serve as a liaison between students, teachers, and families to support academic improvement.
• promote retention and reduce dropout rates by identifying early warning signs and connecting students to support services.
• guide students in exploring post-secondary options including 2-year/4-year colleges, military, career technical education (cte), and workforce pathways.
• provide support with fafsa completion, scholarship searches, college applications, and career assessments.
• coordinate college visits, job shadowing, guest speakers, and career fairs.
• integrate career exploration into advisory programs and classroom presentations.
• provide individual and group counseling addressing personal, emotional, and social issues.
• teach sel (social emotional learning) strategies to build student resilience and interpersonal skills.
• facilitate referrals to external mental health providers and support agencies as needed.
• actively participate in school-wide efforts to improve climate and student engagement.
• design and implement a data-driven, comprehensive school counseling program in line with the asca national model and nmac 6.63.6.
• collaborate with student assistance teams (sat), iep teams, and other student support groups to meet academic and behavioral needs.
• participate in multidisciplinary problem-solving teams to support student achievement and well-being.
• serve as an advocate for equitable access to rigorous academic and extracurricular programs.
• monitor academic placement and opportunity gaps across student subgroups (e.g., ell, sped, economically disadvantaged).
• engage families and community partners in student success planning.
• monitor student progress toward graduation and intervene with recovery plans where needed.
• support students in transition years (8th to 9th grade, 12th grade to post-secondary).
• maintain accurate records of credits, gpa, and testing benchmarks to support graduation certification.

note: this is not an exhaustive or all-inclusive list of responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts, functions or working conditions associated with the job. This job description is not a contract of employment or a promise or guarantee of any specific terms or conditions of employment. The school district may add to, modify or delete any aspect of this job (or the position itself) at any time as it deems advisable.

knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• understanding of adolescent development, mental health, and trauma-informed practices.
• strong organizational skills and ability to analyze data to drive decision-making.
• knowledge of college admission requirements, financial aid, and vocational training.
• ability to develop trust-based relationships with students, families, and colleagues.
• comfortable with student information systems and digital tools for academic tracking.

work environment & physical requirements:

• work is primarily in a school office/classroom environment.
• occasional evening or weekend hours required for events (e.g., parent nights, college fairs).
• must be able to respond to student crises with composure and effectiveness.
• while performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, and talk or hear.
• the employee is required to stand,…