Chicago Public Schools / Columbia Explorers Academy / School Counselor
Job-title file
Assess client needs, develop service plans, and connect people with support resources.
2 employees hold this title in Columbia Explorers Academy. Median total compensation for the role is $128,912, above the department median of $102,874.
Compared with the local labor market
Across all employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area, the median wage for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors — about 9,790 people — is $64,730. Columbia Explorers Academy pays a median base salary of $97,129 for this role, 50% above that figure — about the 82nd percentile of local pay for the occupation.
The bar is the range of annual wages for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors across every employer in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Columbia Explorers Academy’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors — about 353,310 people — is $64,330. Columbia Explorers Academy’s median base salary is 51% above that national figure, about the 85th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Columbia Explorers Academy is $128,912, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare departments
School Counselor is held in 517 Chicago Public Schools departments. In Columbia Explorers Academy, the median of $128,912 ranks #326 of 517.
Median total compensation for the School Counselor role in other Chicago Public Schoolsdepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.
Compare jurisdictions
This role is reported in 3 jurisdictions. In Chicago Public Schools, the median of $135,773 ranks #1 of 3. See School Counselor across all of Chicago Public Schools →
Median total compensation for comparable School Counselor roles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.
Record list
Page 1
School Counselor/Columbia Explorers Academy
Source-specific fields
At Columbia Explorers Academy, Sofia Aguinaga serves as a School Counselor. Their 2026 pay totaled $142,937.
School Counselor/Columbia Explorers Academy
Source-specific fields
Ana Cuevas works as a School Counselor for Columbia Explorers Academy. Ana earned $114,887 in 2026.