Chicago Public Schools / James Shields Elementary School / School Counselor
Job-title file
Assess client needs, develop service plans, and connect people with support resources.
2 employees hold this title in James Shields Elementary School. Median total compensation for the role is $153,673, above the department median of $128,742.
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. James Shields Elementary School pays a median base salary of $117,381 for this role, 81% above that figure — above the 90th 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 James Shields Elementary School’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. James Shields Elementary School’s median base salary is 82% above that national figure, above the 90th 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 James Shields Elementary School is $153,673, 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 James Shields Elementary School, the median of $153,673 ranks #120 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 Counselorroles 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
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School Counselor/James Shields Elementary School
Source-specific fields
At James Shields Elementary School, Michelle Marose serves as a School Counselor. Their 2026 pay totaled $162,339.
School Counselor/James Shields Elementary School
Source-specific fields
At James Shields Elementary School, Carlos Heredia serves as a School Counselor. Their 2026 pay totaled $145,006.