Michigan's school counselor shortage among worst in nation

The average counselor in Michigan is responsible for more than double the number of students recommended by advocates.

Why it matters: Experts say a lack of school counselor access disproportionately hurts students of color seeking mental health help or advice about applying to college in a post-affirmative action world.

The intrigue: Michigan lagged almost every other state in the country with the second worst student-to-counselor ratio during the 2022-23 school year at 598-1.

• The state also had the second-highest ratio in the nation in 2019-20 .

What they're saying: Student needs have grown since the pandemic, says Lauren Mangus, president of the Michigan Association of School Psychologists.

• "Before the pandemic, there was already a mental health crisis," Mangus told lawmakers this year at a House Education Committee hearing. "During the pandemic, youth depression and anxiety doubled."

Catch up quick: School counselors are certified educators who help students navigate behavioral challenges, boost achievement, plan class schedules, set goals and explore career and college options, according to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA).

• They serve as liaisons between students and mental health professionals, state child protective service agencies and university recruiters.
• School counselors can be the first to know a child is facing abuse, struggling with hunger or contemplating suicide.

The latest: In recent years, legislators have aimed to help more students access counselors and other mental health professionals, Chalkbeat reports. The Michigan school aid budget allocated $150 million in 2023 to improve mental health and $328 million for 2024.

• The 2021 budget provided a one-time investment of $240 million specifically to add more school staff to address student mental health.
• From the 2018-19 school year through 2022-23, Michigan schools hired an additional 1,316 staffers to address students' mental well-being, including counselors, social workers and psychologists.

Zoom out: The West and Midwest lead the U.S. with the highest student-to-school counselor ratios, an Axios review of federal data has found.

• Schools in these regions also have some of the highest rates of racial resegregation in states over the last 30 years.

State of play: An Axios review of the ASCA analysis of federal data found that Arizona, a state with a large Latino and Native American population, had the worst student-to-school counselor ratio in the nation — 667-to-1 during the 2022-2023 school year.

By the numbers: Nationally, there are an estimated 8 million students without access to a school counselor, according to the Education Trust.

• Of those students, 1.7 million attend a school with police but no school counselor on campus, demonstrating a focus on policing over mental health or college preparedness.