Job Application for School Counselor (2026-2027 School Year) at Democracy Prep Public Schools

New

Democracy Prep Public Schools is a college prep institution, and it is our mission to educate all scholars to be successful in the college of their choice and a life of active citizenship. We also acknowledge and celebrate multiple post-secondary pathways. We prioritize civic engagement, global citizenship/student travel, arts, and athletics, in addition to excellent academics.

Our School Counselors play a vital role in actualizing this mission by supporting scholars during every step of their high school journey through our comprehensive 4-year advising program for students in grades 9–12.

Our goal is ensuring scholars develop enduring habits of success while they explore and secure meaningful college and career pathways that align with their passions, strengths, and long-term goals. The School Counselor partners closely with scholars, families, school staff, and external partners to guide students through the college application and financial aid process while also advising those pursuing non-college pathways such as military service, vocational training, or employment. This position reports directly to the school’s Leadership Team and is integral to each scholar’s journey from high school to postsecondary success.

Who You Are

Mission-Driven Postsecondary Champion: You are passionately committed to Democracy Prep’s vision of college success and civic engagement for every scholar, and you believe in expanding access to diverse postsecondary options.
Experienced Postsecondary Advisor: You bring experience in college counseling and/or college admissions and are well-versed in college application processes, financial aid systems, and alternative postsecondary pathways.
Skilled Communicator and Writer: You are an excellent writer who provides clear and compelling feedback on scholar essays and produces powerful recommendation letters that elevate scholar narratives.
Collaborative Connector: You build meaningful relationships with families, staff, and college representatives, and you connect scholars to resources and opportunities that match their goals.
Detail-Oriented Data Manager: You maintain accurate and timely student records, use data to inform guidance strategies, and continuously evaluate the effectiveness of your work.

What You’ll Do

College and Career Readiness

Guide 12th grade students through the entire postsecondary process, including college list development, application support, personal statement coaching, scholarship applications, and interview preparation
Provide comprehensive academic counseling for students in grades 9-12 through regular meetings that address both academic planning and social-emotional development
Assist students and families with financial aid processes (FAFSA, TAP, CSS Profile), interpreting award letters, and making informed college selection decisions
Provide specialized guidance for non-traditional pathways such as military service, vocational training, apprenticeships, and direct employment
Explore alternative education options that align with students' interests and career goals
Coordinate SAT/ACT preparation programs, including school-day testing logistics, fee waiver distribution, and test-taking strategies
Write official recommendation letters and support faculty in the recommendation process for college admissions

Data-Driven Advising

Monitor student progress toward postsecondary goals using comprehensive counseling systems
Analyze data on college outcomes to inform advising strategies and improve support for future cohorts
Collaborate with teachers to identify students who may benefit from academic interventions or acceleration

Student Development

Support the development of habits of success through individualized counseling, including time management, self-advocacy, and goal-setting
Provide ongoing guidance for students facing academic challenges or transitions
Monitor student progress and identify those who may benefit from targeted interventions

Academic Oversight and Transition Support

Oversee Credit Audits: Review students' academic records to identify course gaps, ensure alignment with graduation requirements, and develop individualized plans to stay on track for completion.
Monitor Graduation Eligibility: Track student progress toward all state and district graduation benchmarks, providing targeted guidance to address deficiencies and remain academically eligible for postsecondary opportunities.
Support Transferring Students: Assess academic transcripts from external schools, identify course equivalencies, and create transition plans that ensure continuity in students' educational paths while building relationships with new peers and staff.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or counseling certification preferred.
Master’s degree in social work, counseling, or related field is preferred but not required
Prior experience in high school college counseling, college admissions, or a related advising role.
Deep knowledge of college admissions and financial aid processes; familiarity with non-college pathways is a strong plus.
Exceptional writing and communication skills, including experience drafting recommendation letters and supporting scholar writing.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and maintain accurate records.
Comfort using data systems to track scholar progress and inform decision-making.
Ability to build trusting relationships with scholars and families from diverse backgrounds.
Passion for educational equity and belief in the potential of every scholar.

Compensation

Salary is $75,725.00 - $126,374.00 and commensurate with your experience. Democracy Prep employees are provided with a benefits package that includes medical, vision, and dental insurance, 403B matching, parental leave, a smartphone, and a laptop.

Democracy Prep is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, or ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, veteran or military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, familial status, domestic violence victim status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances. Our mission is to educate responsible citizen-scholars who will change the world. We strongly believe that by building a DREAM team that represents numerous perspectives, backgrounds, and areas of expertise, we can achieve this goal together. This is a value we highly support and strongly encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Democracy Prep Public Schools? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

First Name

Last Name

Country

Phone

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Preferred first name

Preferred Pronoun(s)

In order to confirm your background check with the State of New York, we need your social security number. Please include your social security number below.

How did you hear about this job? Please select:

Select...

If you indicated personal connection, professional connection, or other, please provide the name or source below.

Are you a current member or alumnus of any of the following programs?

Select...

Have you completed a 4-year bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university?

Select...

If yes, from which College or University?

What degree did you receive and in what field?

What was your graduation date?

If N/A, what is your anticipated date of graduation?

If you are currently enrolled in a post-secondary program, please share the degree you are working towards and your anticipated completion date.

Do you hold any professional teaching certifications?

Select...

If yes, please list certification area, grade level, state, and expiration date.

How many years of full-time teaching experience do you have?

Do you speak Spanish?

Select...

Please indicate your proficiency level:

Please note that these positions are available exclusively to permanent residents of the United States. Continued residency within the US is necessary for employment with us. Will you now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B or J-1 visa status) or Green Card sponsorship in order to work for Democracy Prep Public Schools?

Select...

If you answered "Yes" to the question above, please provide an explanation below.

Consistent with applicable law, Democracy Prep employees are subject to criminal background checks. To the best of your knowledge, do you have a pending criminal charge or a criminal conviction in any jurisdiction?

Select...

If you answered "Yes" to the question above regarding criminal history, please provide each of the following: (1) a brief summary of the conduct that led to the criminal conviction(s) and/or pending criminal charge(s), (2) the current status of the criminal conviction(s) and/or pending criminal charge(s), and (3) any other relevant information, including an explanation of how Democracy Prep can feel confident that such conduct will not be repeated and will not affect your work with Democracy Prep. Please note that one or more pending criminal charges and/or criminal convictions will not necessarily bar you from working for Democracy Prep. However, we prefer to know about such issues in advance of your background check.

I certify that all the information I have provided in order to apply for and secure work with this employer is true, complete, and correct. I expressly authorize, without reservation, the employer its representatives, employees or agents to contact and obtain information from all references (personal and professional), employers, public agencies, licensing authorities and education institutions and to otherwise verify the accuracy of all information provided by me in this application, resume or job interview. I also understand that if I am hired, I will be required to provide proof of identity and legal authorization to work in the United States and that federal immigration laws require me to complete an I-9 Form in this regard. The information that I am providing here in the application and in the hiring process, including but not limited to information from the phone screen, demo lesson, and interview, will be used for research purposes to improve DPPS’s selection methods. I understand that all personally identifiable information will be kept confidential and will not be shared with non-research partners. Notice to applicants: An applicant who willfully provides false information or fails to disclose the information required is subject to criminal prosecution, as well as a civil penalty of up to five hundred dollars and may face discipline up to and including termination or denial of employment.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Democracy Prep Public Schools’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Gender

Select...

Are you Hispanic/Latino?

Select...

Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Veteran Status

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305

Page 1 of 1

OMB Control Number 1250-0005

Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
Blind or low vision
Cancer (past or present)
Cardiovascular or heart disease
Celiac disease
Cerebral palsy
Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
Diabetes
Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
Intellectual or developmental disability
Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
Short stature (dwarfism)
Traumatic brain injury

Disability Status

Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

School Counselor (2026-2027 School Year)

Who You Are

What You’ll Do

Qualifications

Apply for this job

Voluntary Self-Identification

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability