School Therapists
What schools pay SLPs, OTs, PTs, psychologists, counselors, social workers and assistants, how that compares with other settings, and how to use it in your next contract.
Built from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data: wages for May 2025 and job projections for 2025 to 2035.
What schools pay
National median pay in K-12 schools against the median for the same role in every setting. A median is the middle: half earn more and half earn less. These include every experience level.
Median in K-12 schools Median in all settings Lowest 10% to highest 10%, all settings
Schools pay SLPs and OTs nearly $15,000 less than the all-settings median. For PTs the gap is less than half that, and school psychologists are nearly even. Counselors and social workers earn more in schools than they do overall.
| Role | K-12 median | K-12 hourly | All settings | Schools vs. all | Lowest 10% | Highest 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speech-language pathologists | $83,080 | $39.94 | $97,870 | −$14,790 | $62,900 | $134,160 |
| Occupational therapists | $85,610 | $41.16 | $100,330 | −$14,720 | $71,690 | $131,950 |
| Physical therapists | $96,080 | $46.19 | $102,760 | −$6,680 | $77,140 | $135,140 |
| School psychologists | $94,120 | $45.25 | $95,990 | −$1,870 | $63,070 | $142,330 |
| School and career counselors | $76,760 | $36.91 | $64,330 | +$12,430 | $45,020 | $104,770 |
| Child, family and school social workers | $69,620 | $33.47 | $59,550 | +$10,070 | $42,280 | $95,530 |
| OT assistants | $60,110 | $28.90 | $72,300 | −$12,190 | $51,490 | $89,780 |
| PT assistants | $61,050 | $29.35 | $68,380 | −$7,330 | $47,750 | $89,510 |
Compare by the day, not the year
BLS works out hourly pay by dividing the annual figure by 2,080 hours, a full year of 40-hour weeks. School contracts are usually shorter than that, so annual and hourly figures can make school pay look lower than it is for the days you work.
An example
Median pay divided by 190 days for schools and 260 days (52 five-day weeks) for all settings.
| Role | School, per day | All settings, per day |
|---|---|---|
| Speech-language pathologists | $437 | $376 |
| Occupational therapists | $451 | $386 |
| Physical therapists | $506 | $395 |
| OT assistants | $316 | $278 |
| PT assistants | $321 | $263 |
How to read this
190 days is a round number for illustration, not BLS data. Contracts vary, and some school roles run 11 or 12 months. 260 days is before any paid time off. Swap in your own numbers.
These are base wages. Benefits, pensions, caseload and paperwork time aren't included.
On this example calendar, the school day rate comes out ahead for every role shown. Your contract days decide it, so ask for them before you compare offers.
Georgia pay
Median annual pay in Georgia, May 2025. This covers all settings, not just schools.
| Speech-language pathologists | $96,760 |
|---|---|
| Occupational therapists | $104,010 |
| Physical therapists | $102,700 |
| School psychologists | $99,110 |
| School and career counselors | $63,720 |
| Child, family and school social workers | $47,510 |
| OT assistants | $75,920 |
| PT assistants | $72,800 |
Small groups
Treat the K-12 medians for assistants as rough. BLS counts about 2,840 OT assistants and 590 PT assistants in K-12 schools, far fewer than the other roles here.
School SLP assistants aren't in this guide because BLS doesn't report them as a separate job.
Where the job growth is
Projected U.S. job growth from 2025 to 2035, across all work settings. BLS expects about 12,500 SLP, 10,000 OT and 13,400 PT openings a year, on average.
Assistants have the fastest projected growth, but few of them work in schools. SLPs pair strong growth with a large school presence: 39% of SLPs work in K-12 schools.
Who works in schools
Jobs in K-12 schools, May 2025, and their share of all U.S. jobs in that role.
| Role | Jobs in K-12 schools | Share of the role |
|---|---|---|
| School and career counselors | 173,950 | 49% |
| Speech-language pathologists | 72,130 | 39% |
| Child, family and school social workers | 64,500 | 16% |
| School psychologists | 53,670 | 84% |
| Occupational therapists | 20,390 | 13% |
| Physical therapists | 6,650 | 2% |
| OT assistants | 2,840 | 6% |
| PT assistants | 590 | under 1% |
Five ways to use this in your next contract
- Get the contract days in writing. Divide the pay by the days. That's the number to compare, not the annual figure.
- Ask what the rate covers. Evaluations, IEP meetings and paperwork can be paid differently from direct service. Find out before you sign.
- Pick your floor before the first call. Start from the K-12 median for your role, then adjust for your state, your years of experience and your credentials.
- Count more than the rate. Benefits, license fees, CEUs and travel time can change what an offer is really worth.
- Compare onsite and teletherapy separately. Ask about caseload, schedule and equipment for each one.
Looking for your next school role?
MedPoint Partners places school therapists on contract, onsite or by teletherapy. See what's open now, or join the School Therapist Network on LinkedIn to compare notes with other school therapists. Group members get a free 30-second video intro.
See open school jobs →K-12 figures are the BLS estimates for Elementary and Secondary Schools. "School and career counselors" is the BLS group Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors, which includes college and career advisors. Pay ranges cover all settings. National job counts leave out the self-employed.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook also reports a wider "educational services" group that includes colleges, so its figures can differ a little from the K-12 figures here. For SLPs it shows $83,120.
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: national, Elementary and Secondary Schools, and Georgia.
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, job outlook 2025 to 2035.
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