Kern County teacher salaries by district, 2024-25
The average salary on teacher schedules in Kern County is $90,536 across 37 reporting districts, $13,016 below the California average. Sort, filter and search every one of them below.
What is the average teacher salary in Kern County?
- Median district
- $83,787
- Half the county's districts pay a lower average
- Districts reporting
- 37
- all in the table below
- Full-time equivalents
- 8,774
- on teacher schedules in the county
What stands out in Kern County teacher salaries
Depending on the district, the average salary runs from $74,847 to $99,874.
That's the full range among the 29 Kern County districts with at least 20 full-time equivalents.
Most Kern County districts pay less than the middle California district.
6 of the 37 districts in the table average more than $94,573, the median California district.
Pay roughly doubles from the first step to the top.
Across the county's districts, the typical lowest salary is $55,954 and the typical top salary is $112,787.
Elk Hills Elementary reported the largest raise on last year: 9.3%.
Of the 19 districts that reported a raise above 0%, the median was 1%.2
Which Kern County districts have the highest teacher salaries?
By average salary, starting salary and the top of the scale, among districts with at least 20 full-time equivalents.
Highest average salary
- Wasco Union High92 full-time equivalents$99,874
- Delano Joint Union High212 full-time equivalents$97,288
- Delano Union Elementary334 full-time equivalents$97,084
- Taft Union High69 full-time equivalents$96,233
- Kern High2,072 full-time equivalents$95,791
- Panama-Buena Vista Union764 full-time equivalents$94,230
- Fairfax Elementary150 full-time equivalents$92,179
- Greenfield Union440 full-time equivalents$91,875
- Lamont Elementary139 full-time equivalents$91,810
- Richland Union Elementary154 full-time equivalents$91,257
Kern County average, $90,536
Highest starting salary, full credential
- Wasco Union High$62,956
- Kern High$62,889
- Delano Union Elementary$62,504
- Delano Joint Union High$62,451
- Fairfax Elementary$60,928
Highest salary on the schedule
- Kern High$134,832
- Delano Joint Union High$131,768
- Wasco Union High$129,952
- Fairfax Elementary$128,902
- Taft Union High$125,252
How much do teacher salaries vary across Kern County?
All 37 reporting districts by average salary. The middle district pays $83,787, $10,786 below the middle California district's $94,573.
Middle district: $83,787
Each bar counts the districts whose average salary falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the median district.
Compare teacher salaries in every Kern County district
Average, lowest and highest salary on each district's teacher schedule. Click a column to sort it.
Showing 1 to 25 of 37 districts, highest average salary first.
| McKittrick Elementary | $103,820 | $57,648 | $116,897 | 0% | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wasco Union High | $99,874 | $62,956 | $129,952 | 0.75% | 92 |
| Delano Joint Union High | $97,288 | $62,451 | $131,768 | 0.75% | 212 |
| Delano Union Elementary | $97,084 | $62,504 | $122,270 | 0% | 334 |
| Taft Union High | $96,233 | $48,777 | $125,252 | 2.5% | 69 |
| Kern High | $95,791 | $62,889 | $134,832 | 1% | 2,072 |
| Panama-Buena Vista Union | $94,230 | $58,805 | $119,064 | 1% | 764 |
| Fairfax Elementary | $92,179 | $60,928 | $128,902 | 1% | 150 |
| Greenfield Union | $91,875 | $60,824 | $119,747 | 1% | 440 |
| Lamont Elementary | $91,810 | $60,845 | $109,886 | 0% | 139 |
| Richland Union Elementary | $91,257 | $53,408 | $113,699 | 0% | 154 |
| Bakersfield City | $90,521 | $59,232 | $118,012 | 0% | 1,677 |
| Arvin Union | $89,318 | $58,602 | $113,912 | 0% | 168 |
| Southern Kern Unified | $89,148 | $54,770 | $115,474 | 2.5% | 196 |
| McFarland Unified | $87,260 | $58,356 | $109,333 | 1.5% | 155 |
| Wasco Union Elementary | $86,645 | $55,131 | $110,712 | 0% | 192 |
| Rosedale Union Elementary | $85,207 | $55,954 | $113,835 | 1% | 322 |
| Kern County Office of Education | $84,315 | $58,281 | $108,577 | 0% | 167 |
| Mojave Unified | $83,787 | $52,024 | $117,825 | 0% | 120 |
| Standard Elementary | $83,305 | $56,701 | $117,168 | 1% | 160 |
| Tehachapi Unified | $82,667 | $53,853 | $105,430 | 0.5% | 205 |
| Taft City | $81,803 | $58,493 | $114,476 | 1% | 126 |
| Fruitvale Elementary | $80,894 | $55,000 | $112,787 | 0% | 164 |
| Edison Elementary | $80,620 | $56,399 | $111,452 | 0% | 62 |
| Rio Bravo-Greeley Union Elementary | $80,563 | $53,292 | $100,977 | 0% | 51 |
No district matches. Clear the search or pick another county or size.
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 Kern County
What is the average teacher salary in Kern County?
$90,536 a year in 2024-25: the average across everyone on the teacher salary schedules of 37 reporting districts in Kern County. That's $13,016 below the California average of $103,552. The median Kern County district pays $83,787 on average.
Which Kern County school district pays teachers the most?
Among districts with at least 20 full-time equivalents, Wasco Union High has the highest average salary, $99,874, followed by Delano Joint Union High ($97,288) and Delano Union Elementary ($97,084).
Which Kern County school district pays teachers the least?
Among districts with at least 20 full-time equivalents, Buttonwillow Union Elementary has the lowest average salary, $74,847, followed by Sierra Sands Unified ($77,241) and Kernville Union Elementary ($77,424).
How much do teachers earn on the first step in Kern County?
Across the county's districts, the median lowest salary on the schedule is $55,954 and the median top salary is $112,787. 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.
How much did teacher pay in Kern County rise last year?
Of the 19 districts that reported a raise above 0%, the median raise on the salary schedule was 1%. Another 18 show 0%, which in the state's file can also mean the question was left blank.
Average teacher salaries in Kern County compared to nearby counties
Average salary on teacher schedules in each county that borders Kern County, and how much more or less it pays.3
- San Bernardino County$106,829 average, 33 reporting districts$16,293 more than Kern County
- Los Angeles County$103,494 average, 71 reporting districts$12,958 more than Kern County
- Santa Barbara County$103,010 average, 17 reporting districts$12,474 more than Kern County
- Ventura County$102,094 average, 20 reporting districts$11,558 more than Kern County
- Kings County$99,483 average, 11 reporting districts$8,947 more than Kern County
- Tulare County$98,604 average, 38 reporting districts$8,068 more than Kern County
- Inyo County$92,016 average, 5 reporting districts$1,480 more than Kern County
- San Luis Obispo County$87,948 average, 11 reporting districts$2,588 less than Kern County
Keep exploring teacher pay in California
Sources for the Kern County 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. The county average, medians and rankings are our own arithmetic on these figures, using the same method as the state's published averages.
- Each district's report to the California Department of Education, Form J-90 database, 2024-25: salary schedules and full-time equivalents.
- California Department of Education, Selected Certificated Salaries and Related Statistics, 2024-25, Table I: each district's raise on last year.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2024: which counties border each other.