California teacher salaries by district, 2024-25

The average salary on California's teacher schedules is $103,552 across 828 reporting school districts and county offices of education. Sort, filter and search every one of them below. These are public schools only: charter schools and private schools aren't included.

What is the average teacher salary in California?

Lowest-paying district

$62,985

Laytonville Unified,
Mendocino County

Average salary on California teacher schedules1

$103,552

across all 828 reporting districts

Highest-paying district

$181,322

Mountain View-Los Altos Union High,
Santa Clara County

Median district
$94,573
Half the districts pay a lower average
Districts reporting
828
792 in the table below
Full-time equivalents
270,067
on teacher schedules statewide
Typical raise on last year
2%
median of the 564 districts reporting a raise

What stands out in California teacher salaries

Which California districts have the highest teacher salaries?

By average salary on the teacher schedule, among districts with at least 20 full-time equivalents.

Highest average salary

  1. Mountain View-Los Altos Union HighSanta Clara County$181,322
  2. Saint Helena UnifiedNapa County$169,801
  3. Fremont Union HighSanta Clara County$158,950
  4. Santa Clara UnifiedSanta Clara County$149,175
  5. Menlo Park City ElementarySan Mateo County$147,525
  6. Palo Alto UnifiedSanta Clara County$145,938
  7. Laguna Beach UnifiedOrange County$143,700
  8. Montecito Union ElementarySanta Barbara County$141,414
  9. Los Gatos-Saratoga Union HighSanta Clara County$141,136
  10. Los Gatos Union ElementarySanta Clara County$141,021

California average, $103,552

Highest teacher salaries in California: the top 25 by average, starting pay, top of the scale and after 10 years

Which California counties have the highest teacher salaries?

The 10 counties with the highest average salary on teacher schedules, across every reporting district. They are the only 10 counties that average more than California as a whole ($103,552, the dashed line).4

Average salary on the teacher schedule, 2024-25under $81,000$81,000 to $88,000$88,000 to $97,000$97,000 to $103,000$103,000 or moreLeft outNot reportedEach shade holds about a fifth of the counties. Outlines: US Census Bureau.
  1. Santa Clara$122,256
  2. Imperial$116,162
  3. San Mateo$115,726
  4. Napa$114,784
  5. Marin$113,855
  6. Orange$113,241
  7. Riverside$112,963
  8. Alameda$107,969
  9. San Bernardino$106,829
  10. Merced$104,127
Show all 56 California counties

Ranked out of the 56 counties with a county page; California has 58. Not ranked: Alpine County's only reporting district is too small for a page of its own, and no Amador County district appears in the state's 2024-25 file.

Compare teacher salaries in every California district

Average, lowest and highest salary on each district's teacher schedule. Click a column to sort it.4

Showing 1 to 25 of 792 districts, highest average salary first.

Mountain View-Los Altos Union HighSanta Clara CountySanta Clara$181,322$106,025$205,5474%279
Saint Helena UnifiedNapa CountyNapa$169,801$89,803$185,4135.67%96
Fremont Union HighSanta Clara CountySanta Clara$158,950$105,395$177,0524.71%483
Santa Clara UnifiedSanta Clara CountySanta Clara$149,175$95,734$171,5683.75%970
Menlo Park City ElementarySan Mateo CountySan Mateo$147,525$79,286$161,9603.5%182
Palo Alto UnifiedSanta Clara CountySanta Clara$145,938$91,546$168,5984%766
Laguna Beach UnifiedOrange CountyOrange$143,700$74,634$173,4535%158
Montecito Union ElementarySanta Barbara CountySanta Barbara$141,414$61,655$156,0082%33
Los Gatos-Saratoga Union HighSanta Clara CountySanta Clara$141,136$85,896$165,1388%173
Los Gatos Union ElementarySanta Clara CountySanta Clara$141,021$83,194$159,3625%165
Portola Valley ElementarySan Mateo CountySan Mateo$140,555$85,145$160,0414%43
Hillsborough City ElementarySan Mateo CountySan Mateo$140,475$77,220$167,8492.25%106
Carmel UnifiedMonterey CountyMonterey$140,436$78,959$162,1623%183
Calistoga Joint UnifiedNapa CountyNapa$140,386$85,458$159,0133%57
San Mateo Union HighSan Mateo CountySan Mateo$139,477$82,756$157,2344%523
Saratoga Union ElementarySanta Clara CountySanta Clara$138,858$80,027$155,1017.5%94
Sequoia Union HighSan Mateo CountySan Mateo$137,566$86,466$160,0565.5%636
Santa Clara County Office of EducationSanta Clara CountySanta Clara$136,809$81,491$152,1663%188
Tamalpais Union HighMarin CountyMarin$130,716$75,619$145,6953.5%262
Chaffey Joint Union HighSan Bernardino CountySan Bernardino$130,666$63,832$151,2820%939
Ballard ElementarySanta Barbara CountySanta Barbara$130,371$71,268$140,3958%8
San Leandro UnifiedAlameda CountyAlameda$129,418$89,138$159,6915%507
Reed Union ElementaryMarin CountyMarin$128,930$74,432$142,9188.15%75
Arcadia UnifiedLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles$128,864$76,742$152,1650%407
Brawley Union HighImperial CountyImperial$128,213$71,660$162,3430%90

A raise of 0% can also mean the district left that question blank; the state's file doesn't tell the two apart. Districts without a link have fewer than 20 full-time equivalents, too few for a page of their own. Districts with fewer than 5 are left out to protect privacy.

Questions about teacher pay in California

What is the average teacher salary in California?

$103,552 a year in 2024-25: the average across everyone on the teacher salary schedules of 828 reporting school districts and county offices of education. The median district pays $94,573 on average.

Which California school district pays teachers the most?

Among districts with at least 20 full-time equivalents, Mountain View-Los Altos Union High in Santa Clara County has the highest average salary, $181,322, followed by Saint Helena Unified ($169,801) and Fremont Union High ($158,950).

Which California school district pays teachers the least?

Among districts with at least 20 full-time equivalents, Laytonville Unified in Mendocino County has the lowest average salary, $62,985, followed by Ballico-Cressey Elementary ($64,793) and Freshwater Elementary ($66,403).

How much do teachers earn on the first step in California?

Across reporting districts, the median lowest salary on the schedule is $59,369 and the median top salary is $120,191. In some districts the first step is for teachers who don't yet hold a full credential; each district page shows which column it is.

Do larger California districts pay teachers more?

On average, yes. Districts with 500 or more full-time equivalents average $104,809, while those with fewer than 100 average $90,103. Individual districts still range widely: from $47,871 to $169,801 among the smaller ones and from $82,041 to $149,175 among the larger ones.

How much did California teacher pay rise last year?

Of the 564 districts that reported a raise above 0%, the median raise on the salary schedule was 2%. Another 228 show 0%, which in the state's file can also mean the question was left blank.

Sources for the California figures

Salaries are the annual amounts on each district's certificated salary schedule. Following the state's definitions, they leave out extended-year pay, bonuses and extra-curricular pay such as coaching. Counts are full-time equivalents and can include counselors, nurses and librarians paid on the same schedule. Medians and rankings are our own arithmetic on these figures; our statewide average matches the state's published $103,552.

  1. California Department of Education, Selected Certificated Salaries and Related Statistics, 2024-25, Table I: statewide average salary paid and each district's raise on last year.
  2. Association of Bay Area Governments, Our Members: the nine Bay Area counties.
  3. State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: county population.
  4. Each district's report to the California Department of Education, Form J-90 database, 2024-25: salary schedules and full-time equivalents.

How we read the data