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School district · California · LEAID 0603300

Atascadero Unified

Atascadero Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (4,293 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Atascadero Unified come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$97,840
Est. avg teacher salary

Below benchmark

$17,637
Per-pupil spending
4,293
Students enrolled
27th
Pct. in CA
$97,840

Atascadero Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (4,293 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $97,840, above the national average of $70,245, serving 4,293 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Atascadero Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (4,293 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 27th percentile for California
  • 89th percentile nationally
  • 31% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • California ranks #2 of 49 on the salary estimate and #1 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Atascadero Unified ranks #545 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #562 of 750 by per-pupil spending. Calaveras County Office of Education pay #1 at $178,519 is not Beverly Hills Unified spending #1 at $61,843 per pupil
  • +25.6% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs California median

Among 954 California districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Atascadero Unified's instructional payroll puts 73.8% into regular program , 12.0 points below the state median of 85.8%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.

Program Atascadero Unified CA median Gap
Regular program 73.8% 85.8% -12.0 pp
Special education 16.6% 10.8% +5.9 pp
Vocational programs 3.6% 0.0% +3.6 pp
Other programs 6.0% 0.4% +5.6 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 954 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 0603300 · FY2023.

LEAID 0603300 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Atascadero Unified F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -11% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P27 in state RANK-NAT-MID P89 national PPE-MID $18K/pupil ENR-MID 4,293 students INSTR-LOW 31% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Earlimart FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $97,840 estimated average teacher salary · P27 in California · P89 nationally · 31% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: West (+$4,261est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Atascadero Unified

Salary neighbourhood · Atascadero Unified

Atascadero Unified trails most of its in-state peer set; the chart plots it against the top and bottom pay poles for context (NCES F-33 FY2023, not a full state reprint).

est. salary
Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey As of FY2023
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for Atascadero Unified

Atascadero Unified's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$97,840 Top 11% higher than 89% of 10,684 US districts

Show national distribution $30,000–$40,000: 155 US districts (1%). Below this entry. $40,000–$50,000: 1,360 US districts (13%). Below this entry. $50,000–$60,000: 2,382 US districts (22%). Below this entry. $60,000–$70,000: 2,402 US districts (22%). Below this entry. $70,000–$80,000: 1,633 US districts (15%). Below this entry. $80,000–$90,000: 1,097 US districts (10%). Below this entry. $90,000–$100,000: 662 US districts (6%). This entry sits in this band. $100,000–$110,000: 371 US districts (3%). Above this entry. $110,000–$120,000: 249 US districts (2%). Above this entry. $120,000–$130,000: 156 US districts (1%). Above this entry. $130,000–$140,000: 112 US districts (1%). Above this entry. $140,000–$150,000: 57 US districts (1%). Above this entry. $150,000–$160,000: 25 US districts (0%). Above this entry. $160,000–$170,000: 13 US districts (0%). Above this entry. $170,000–$180,000: 10 US districts (0%). Above this entry. $180,000–$190,000: 0 US districts (0%). Above this entry. Atascadero Unified $30,000 $190,000 every reliable-salary US district, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $10K-wide band; taller bars hold more US districts. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 · FY2023

Atascadero Unified in California's lower-third pay band

Same 750 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Atascadero Unified ranks #545 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #562 of 750 by per-pupil spending. Calaveras County Office of Education pay #1 at $178,519 is not Beverly Hills Unified spending #1 at $61,843 per pupil

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 As of FY2023

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Atascadero Unified is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Beverly Hills Unified leads spending at $61,843 per pupil; Calaveras County Office of Education leads pay.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 As of FY2023

What stands out about Atascadero Unified

  • Enrolment fell from 4,735 to 4,293 students (9.3% down) across FY2019–FY2023 while the instructional salary pool per teacher went up. Districts on that path are usually holding staffing steady against a falling roll, which lifts the per-teacher figure without anyone getting a raise, so read this page's salary estimate alongside the enrolment line rather than on its own.

California prices absorb part of this salary

Nominal district estimate
$97,840.029

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

California price level
112.2 / 100

BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.

National-price equivalent
$87,205

-11% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in California run above the national average, so this salary has roughly the buying power of the national-price equivalent above. Comparing it with a district in a cheaper state without this adjustment overstates its relative value.

Regional price parity: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2023 all-items RPP by state. The adjustment applies a statewide index to a district figure, so it captures how California compares nationally, not how this district compares with others in its own state. Compare every state on this basis.

How this salary figure is calculated
Full NCES reading for Atascadero Unified

What the Numbers Say About Atascadero Unified

Atascadero Unified is a small-to-mid-sized school district in California, serving 4,293 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $17,637. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $97,840, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0603300 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the California statewide average of $110,546, teacher pay in Atascadero Unified runs materially below the state benchmark, a 11.5% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (39.3% differential). Among enrolling districts in California, it pays more than 27% of them. California itself ranks #2 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Atascadero Unified reports $75.7M in total expenditure against $94.7M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 31% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $14.1M, special-education teacher pay is $3.2M.

How does Atascadero Unified compare?

Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the California average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.

Atascadero Unified $97,840
Los Angeles Unified $103,820
California avg $110,546
National avg $70,245

Atascadero Unified pays -5.8% less than Los Angeles Unified · per-pupil $17,637 vs $26,962

Derived from NCES F-33 teacher salary expenditure (Z35-Z38) and CCD Staff Universe teacher FTE (FY2023); a small minority use the documented fallback. Unreliable service entities are excluded.

Data-derived comparison paths

Find comparable California districts

On pay, Atascadero Unified sits closest to Earlimart Elementary; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Southern Kern Unified. These are not simply nearby districts: each group is selected from the same NCES FY2023 dataset using a matching salary or per-pupil-investment signal and a comparable enrollment range.

Closest on estimated pay
  1. Earlimart Elementary
  2. Willows Unified
  3. Yuba City Unified
  4. Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified
  5. Auburn Union Elementary
  6. Patterson Joint Unified
  7. Corning Union Elementary
  8. Sierra Unified
  9. San Bruno Park Elementary
  10. Lompoc Unified
  11. Nevada County Office of Education
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Southern Kern Unified
  2. Anderson Union High
  3. Mountain View Elementary
  4. Calaveras Unified
  5. Mark West Union Elementary
  6. South Monterey County Joint Union High
  7. Galt Joint Union Elementary
  8. Hanford Elementary
  9. Victor Elementary
  10. Bishop Unified
  11. Beaumont Unified

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Atascadero Unified's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Atascadero Unified: closest on enrollment (4,293 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($97,840 here). Rows stay link-disjoint so each axis is a distinct neighborhood.

Similar enrollment

Nearest other districts by NCES student count (floored at ≥200).

Similar estimated salary

Nearest other districts by F-33-derived average teacher salary, distinct from the enrollment row.

Enrollment and salaries from NCES CCD F-33; estimated teacher pay can diverge widely at the same student count because of state funding, cost of living, and local bargaining.

Revenue & Expenditure

$94.7M
Total Revenue
$75.7M
Total Expenditure
$23.5M
Instruction Salaries
31% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$14.1M
Regular Program
$3.2M
Special Education
$0.7M
Vocational
$1.1M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Atascadero Unified: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 81% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 19% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

California Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized California districts belongs to San Bernardino County Office of Education at $178,265. Placed 506 of 644, Atascadero Unified is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. Because California prices run above the national average, this salary is worth less than the same number elsewhere; District of Columbia and Hawaii are the states it can be compared with directly on BEA's price parity.

View all California districts →

Other California Districts

Smaller-district sample from 776 California peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Charter Oak Unified
$111,530
4,272 students
San Rafael City Elementary
$131,122
4,271 students
Shasta Union High
$120,558
4,263 students
Central Elementary
$114,824
4,263 students
Buckeye Union Elementary
$109,272
4,259 students
San Ysidro Elementary
$136,143
4,255 students

This is a sample of 6 from 776 California districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Atascadero Unified
What is the average teacher salary in Atascadero Unified?

The average teacher salary in Atascadero Unified is $97,840 (NCES CCD FY2023), from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by the district's reported teacher headcount (NCES CCD Staff Universe Survey).

How does Atascadero Unified teacher pay compare to the California average?

Atascadero Unified pays 11.5% less than the California state average of $110,546. The district's average is $97,840.

How does Atascadero Unified teacher pay compare to the national average?

Atascadero Unified pays 39.3% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $97,840.

What is the per-pupil spending in Atascadero Unified?

Atascadero Unified spends approximately $17,637 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Atascadero Unified's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 31% of Atascadero Unified's total expenditure of $75.7M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Atascadero Unified
Disclaimer & data sources

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainTeacher

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Editorial standards & source notes

According to the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) F-33 Local Education Agency Finance Survey, PlainTeacher's figures are computed directly, no number is typed in by an editor. Atascadero Unified's salary and finance figures are computed directly from its FY2023 F-33 submission, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Data current as of FY2023.