Counselors in middle and high schools play several essential roles. Counselors help students with their emotional and behavioral development, they manage curricular and graduation plans, and prepare students for life after high school, be it for college or career. After funding reductions from the Texas legislature in the spring of 2011, many school districts across Texas reduced the number of counselors available to students, increasing the number of students the remaining counselors serve by an average of 24 students. The purpose of this report is to begin to understand how specific changes in Texas education policy have influenced counseling in the state by considering these issues. This research first examines the role of counselors and evidence of their effectiveness in improving student outcomes. Second, researchers discuss the Texas policy context in relation to recent legislative changes that impact the work counselors perform. Then researchers use administrative data from the Texas Education Research Center to look at the supply and demand of counselors in Texas from 2000 to 2014. [This research was conducted under the organization of the Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources.]