30-60-90 day plan for school counselors
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A school counselor arrives with a master's degree and a state credential, but without knowing any of the students on their caseload. Some of those students have safety plans, some have been waiting weeks for an appointment, and some will need the counselor on the first day. The new counselor also has to learn the school's crisis procedures, how referrals to outside services work, and which duties belong to them rather than to administration. A 30-60-90 day plan for school counselors should cover safety procedures and the highest-need students first, then start the regular program, then set goals for the year based on the school's own data.
This plan is for the principal or counseling director hiring a counselor for an elementary, middle or high school. The general structure is in the 30-60-90 day plan template for new hires. The school principal plan and the teacher plan show what the counselor's closest colleagues are working on in their own first months.
Rules and procedures to learn before seeing students
As of October 2026, the rules a new school counselor should review in the first week include:
- Credential. School counselors are certified or licensed by the state education agency, and requirements differ by state. Confirm the credential is valid for the grade levels assigned before the start date.
- Mandated reporting. Every state names professionals who must report suspected child abuse or neglect, and school personnel are generally among them. The Child Welfare Information Gateway publishes each state's reporting laws. The counselor should know the state's timelines and the district's procedure for reporting and notifying administration.
- FERPA. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act protects education records. Under 34 CFR 99.3, records kept in the sole possession of their maker, used only as a personal memory aid and not shared except with a temporary substitute, are not education records. Under 34 CFR 99.36, a school may disclose information from education records to appropriate parties in connection with an emergency if it is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or others.
- Surveys. The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment governs surveys, analyses or evaluations of students in programs funded by the U.S. Department of Education that concern eight protected areas, including mental or psychological problems. Check the district's consent and notice process before giving any needs assessment or screening survey to students.
States add their own rules on minors' consent to counseling, confidentiality and records. Ask the district for its policies and counsel for specific situations; this is not legal advice.
The 30-60-90 day plan
30-60-90 day plan — [Name], School Counselor, [school]
Reports to: [principal / counseling director] Start: [date]
Caseload: [N] students, grades [ ], [alphabet split / grade]
Team: [other counselors], [psychologist], [social worker], [nurse]
Systems: [student information system], [referral tracking]
DAYS 1-30 — Safety, high-need students and relationships
Goals:
- Learn the mandated reporting, suicide risk and crisis
procedures; know who to call
- Review the caseload: safety plans, 504 plans and IEPs,
attendance concerns, recent crises; contact high-need
students first
- Meet the principal, teachers, student support staff and
front office
- Learn referral routes to outside mental health services
- (High school) Learn the course scheduling and graduation
requirement checks and the college application calendar
Deliverables by day 30:
- Every high-priority student contacted and documented
- A list of caseload needs by group
Check-in: day 30, with principal or director
DAYS 31-60 — Start the program
Goals:
- Begin classroom lessons on the school's schedule
- Start one or two small groups based on need (example:
attendance support, or transition to a new school)
- Set a referral and follow-up log with dates
- Track use of time weekly
Deliverables by day 60:
- Lessons and groups running with attendance tracked
- Referrals and follow-ups documented on time
Check-in: day 60
DAYS 61-90 — Goals from data
Goals:
- Review attendance, discipline and course data for the
caseload with the principal
- Set two or three program goals for the year
- Agree which non-counseling duties the counselor keeps
Deliverables by day 90:
- Written program goals with measures
- Time log reviewed with the principal
Check-in: day 90 — full reviewCaseload and time
The American School Counselor Association recommends a ratio of 250 students per school counselor and reports a national average of 372 to 1 for the 2024-2025 school year. ASCA links its recommended ratio to the goal that school counselors spend 80 percent of their time in direct and indirect student services. Many counselors spend large parts of the week on testing coordination, scheduling and supervision duties instead. A weekly time log in the first two months gives the principal and counselor evidence for deciding which duties to keep.
What to measure
The standards below are examples only. Use the school's own data as the baseline.
| Measure | Why it matters | Example standard (example only) |
|---|---|---|
| High-priority students contacted | Safety comes first | Every one seen in the first weeks |
| Referrals followed up on time | Referrals that stall leave students without help | Every referral has a follow-up date |
| Lessons and groups delivered | The core of a counseling program | On the schedule agreed with the principal |
| Time in direct and indirect services | Shows where the week actually goes | Logged weekly and reviewed |
| Caseload outcomes (attendance, discipline, course failures) | Program goals need a baseline | Baseline set by day 90 |
A filled example
School counselor: Aisha Coleman (invented), two years as a counselor in another district, joining a middle school with a caseload of the full seventh grade.
Day 30: Learned the district's suicide risk protocol and reporting procedure in the first week. Contacted the students with safety plans and the students the previous counselor had flagged. Found a waiting list of referrals that had not been followed up since spring.
Day 60: Classroom lessons started on the school's advisory schedule. Started an attendance support group for students with chronic absence. Set up a referral log with follow-up dates and cleared the old waiting list.
Day 90: Reviewed seventh-grade attendance and course failure data with the principal and set two goals for the year. The time log showed many hours on lunch supervision and test coordination; the principal moved lunch duty to another staff member.
What "on track" looks like
| Checkpoint | On track | Worth a direct conversation |
|---|---|---|
| Day 30 | Safety procedures known; high-need students seen | Unsure of the reporting procedure; caseload not reviewed |
| Day 60 | Lessons and groups running; referrals tracked | Only crisis response; no regular program |
| Day 90 | Program goals set from data; time reviewed | No baseline; duties unchanged despite evidence |
What the school owes the new counselor
- Written crisis and reporting procedures with names and phone numbers.
- A handover of high-need students from the previous counselor or the team.
- A private space for confidential conversations.
- A clear list of assigned duties, reviewed with the time log.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Result | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Starting with lessons before reviewing the caseload | High-need students wait | Caseload review in week one |
| Notes kept without knowing the records rules | Confusion when parents or others ask | Learn FERPA and district policy first |
| Untracked referrals | Students lost between services | A referral log with dates |
| Accepting every non-counseling duty | Little time for students | Time log and a review with the principal |
Adapting the plan
- Elementary schools: put more weight on classroom lessons, teacher consultation and family contact.
- High schools: add course scheduling, graduation checks and postsecondary planning deadlines.
- Schools with a social worker or psychologist: agree who handles which referrals; the social worker plan shows that role's ramp.
If you are building the student support team, the mental health counselor screening questions and the interview guide for teachers cover the roles a counselor works with most.
Questions people ask
What should a new school counselor do in the first week?
Learn the district's mandated reporting procedure and its suicide risk and crisis protocols, and confirm who to call when. Then review the caseload: students with safety plans, 504 plans or IEPs, attendance concerns or recent crises, so the counselor knows who needs contact first. Meet the principal, teachers and the other student support staff.
What does FERPA mean for a school counselor's notes?
FERPA protects students' education records. Its regulations exclude records kept in the sole possession of the person who made them, used only as a personal memory aid and not shared with anyone other than a temporary substitute. Notes that are shared or placed in a file are generally education records. FERPA also allows disclosure in a health or safety emergency. Follow the district's policy and ask its counsel about specific cases. This is not legal advice.
What caseload should a school counselor have?
The American School Counselor Association recommends a ratio of 250 students per school counselor. Its published national average for the 2024-2025 school year was 372 to 1. Actual caseloads depend on the district's staffing, so the plan should be built around the real caseload, with priorities set for which students need contact first.
How do you measure a school counselor's first 90 days?
By whether every high-priority student has been seen, referrals and follow-ups are documented on time, classroom lessons and small groups are running, and the counselor's time is spent mostly on direct and indirect student services. Use attendance, discipline and course data from the school's own records as the baseline.