Will AI replace school psychologists?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 7h 37m (95%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 0.8% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 2 of 19 tasks, about 23m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Collect and analyze data to evaluate the effectiveness of academic programs and other services, such as behavioral management systems. (18m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Conduct research to generate new knowledge that can be used to address learning and behavior issues. (6m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

7h 37m of a typical shift, or 95%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Select, administer, and score psychological tests. (1h 17m a shift)
• Interpret test results and prepare psychological reports for teachers, administrators, and parents. (53m a shift)
• Counsel children and families to help solve conflicts and problems in learning and adjustment. (47m a shift)
• Provide consultation to parents, teachers, administrators, and others on topics such as learning styles and behavior modification techniques. (47m a shift)
• Compile and interpret students' test results, along with information from teachers and parents, to diagnose conditions and to help assess eligibility for special services. (41m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 90% talk face to face with others every day
• 55% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important

On Indeed, job postings in the Social Science sector are at 126% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), down 6.7% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 3,400 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $95,990 a year ($46.15 an hour), 88% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $63,070 and $142,330 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 0.8% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 65,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 3,400 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 64,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.04% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 347th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 65,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a post-master's certificate: about 53% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 5 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: graduate degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Monitoring, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Negotiation
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 37m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Zoom
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (19m touched, $101k median pay)
• Marriage and Family Therapists (0m touched, $67k median pay)
• Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors (2h 9m touched, $64k median pay)
• Child, Family, and School Social Workers (0m touched, $60k median pay)
• Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers (1h 14m touched, $60k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 2 observed in real AI use, 17 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.