School Therapy Workload Calculator
Add up everything you do in a school week: direct IEP minutes, evaluations, meetings, paperwork and travel. The calculator compares your total workload with your contracted hours, so you can see, in hours, whether your caseload actually fits.
By the Best Therapy Productivity Calculator team · Last updated October 2026
Worked example: 50 students
36.5 h
Total school workload per week
Worked example on this page
97%
of a 37.5-hour contract
Worked example on this page
113%
After adding 10 more students (42.3 hours)
Worked example on this page
How the workload calculation works
The calculator turns every task into minutes per week, adds them up, and compares the total with your contract.
| Task | Weekly minutes |
|---|---|
| Direct therapy | students × direct minutes per student |
| Indirect / consultation | as entered |
| Evaluations | evaluations per month × hours each × 60 ÷ 4.33 |
| IEP meetings | meetings per month × minutes each ÷ 4.33 |
| Documentation | students × documentation minutes per student |
| Travel and other duties | as entered |
Workload % = total weekly minutes ÷ (contracted hours × 60) × 100
4.33 is the average number of weeks in a month (52 ÷ 12).
Worked example: elementary school SLP
| Task | Input | Weekly minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Direct therapy | 50 students × 30 min | 1,500 |
| Indirect / consultation | 120 | |
| Evaluations | 3 per month × 4 hours | 166 |
| IEP meetings | 6 per month × 45 min | 62 |
| Documentation | 50 students × 5 min | 250 |
| Travel between 2 schools | 90 | |
| Total | 2,189 min (36.5 hours) |
With a 37.5-hour contract, that’s 97% of the week, with about an hour to spare.
Now add 10 students at the same averages. Direct and documentation time grow, and the total jumps to 42.3 hours, or 113% of the contract, nearly 5 hours over every week. That’s the gap that usually ends up as paperwork done at home.
Why workload, not just caseload
AOTA, APTA and ASHA jointly recommended the workload approach in 2014. Their document notes that documentation alone can take up to a full day a week for a full-time school therapist, and that caseload counts ignore the time each student needs. Two caseloads of 50 can mean very different weeks if one includes more evaluations, more schools or more students with intensive service minutes.
ASHA’s 2024 Schools Survey reported a median caseload of 50 students for school SLPs. Use the calculator to see what your 50 (or 65, or 80) actually costs in hours. Learn more on the school-based therapy workload page.
How to use your results
- Under 90%: your schedule likely has room for evaluations or new referrals
- 90–100%: full; new students will push you over
- Over 100%: your workload doesn’t fit your contract. Print the breakdown and bring it to your supervisor with a proposed fix, such as a 3:1 schedule, assistant support or caseload redistribution.
These bands are planning guides, not official standards.
Frequently asked questions
What should I count as indirect time?
Teacher consultation, classroom observations, collaborating on accommodations, and parent communication.
How do I estimate documentation minutes per student?
Track one typical week of progress notes, data entry and Medicaid billing documentation (if your district bills Medicaid), then divide by your caseload.
Should I include IEP writing?
Yes. Count IEP writing in evaluation hours if it’s part of your evaluation reports, or under other duties if not, but don’t count it twice.
Can I use this for school OT and PT?
Yes. The tasks are the same, though OTs and PTs often have more travel between buildings.
Is this the same as ASHA’s workload calculator?
No. ASHA offers its own free spreadsheet calculators for SLPs. This is a simpler weekly version for SLPs, OTs and PTs.
Run your numbers now, then read school-based therapy workload for how to make your case.
Planning tool only. Your district’s policies, state rules and IEP requirements apply.