The United States of America is currently experiencing a shortage of school counselors. California alone has over three and a half times more than the recommended student-to-counselor ratio of one counselor to 818 students. A qualitative single exploratory case study design allowed for an in-depth analysis of California school counselors' perceptions of student-to-counselor ratios and school counselor and student performance. The social cognitive theory and the social capital theory was the theoretical foundation guiding the study. Using purposive sampling, 12 participants were selected. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews. A field test was conducted to validate the data collection instrument. Triangulation occurred through face-to-face interviews, member checking and document analysis. NVivo 12.0 was used to organize and assist with data analysis. The themes that emerged from the data included building relationships with students; communication with students; motivating students; counselor well-being and counselor role confusion. Four recommendations emerged for educational leaders: (a) providing school counselors with more opportunities to build relationships with their students; (b) for school administrators to provide support to school counselors by better understanding the role of the school counselor and accounting for their well-being; (c) allow school counselors more time to be spent on counseling related duties; and (d) lowering student-to-counselor ratios to help assist school counselors in increasing their overall performance and the performance of their students. The study concluded with four suggestions for future research regarding student-to-counselor ratios. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]