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School district · California · LEAID 0607560

Carpinteria Unified

Carpinteria Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (2,001 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Carpinteria Unified come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$91,584
Est. avg teacher salary

Well below benchmark

$28,219
Per-pupil spending
2,001
Students enrolled
17th
Pct. in CA
$91,584

Carpinteria Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (2,001 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $91,584, above the national average of $70,245, serving 2,001 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Carpinteria Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (2,001 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 17th percentile for California
  • 86th percentile nationally
  • 24% 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.
  • Carpinteria Unified ranks #621 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #74 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
  • +28.4% 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, Carpinteria Unified's instructional payroll puts 14.2% into special education , 3.4 points above the state median of 10.8%. That heavier special-education share usually means more of the teacher-salary pool is tied to IEP-driven staffing than at a typical California peer.

Program Carpinteria Unified CA median Gap
Regular program 83.1% 85.8% -2.7 pp
Special education 14.2% 10.8% +3.4 pp
Vocational programs 2.7% 0.0% +2.7 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 0607560 · FY2023.

LEAID 0607560 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Carpinteria Unified F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -17% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P17 in state RANK-NAT-MID P86 national PPE-HIGH $28K/pupil ENR-SMALL 2,001 students INSTR-LOW 24% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Sonora FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $91,584 estimated average teacher salary · P17 in California · P86 nationally · 24% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: West (+$10,518est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Carpinteria Unified

Salary neighbourhood · Carpinteria Unified

Carpinteria 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 Carpinteria Unified

Carpinteria Unified's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$91,584 Top 14% higher than 86% 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. Carpinteria 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

Carpinteria 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 Carpinteria Unified ranks #621 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #74 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

Carpinteria 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 Carpinteria Unified

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +28.4% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing California's statewide +25.3% by 3.1 points, a growth rate faster than 66% of the 856 California districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 2,177 to 2,001 students (8.1% 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.
  • Its per-pupil spending of $28,219 is among the highest in the nation.

California prices absorb part of this salary

Nominal district estimate
$91,583.941

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
$81,629

-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 Carpinteria Unified

What the Numbers Say About Carpinteria Unified

Carpinteria Unified is a small school district in California, serving 2,001 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $28,219. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $91,584, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0607560 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the California statewide average of $110,546, teacher pay in Carpinteria Unified runs materially below the state benchmark, a 17.2% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (30.4% differential). Among enrolling districts in California, it pays more than 17% 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, Carpinteria Unified reports $56.5M in total expenditure against $63.5M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 24% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $8.7M, special-education teacher pay is $1.5M.

How does Carpinteria Unified compare?

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

Carpinteria Unified $91,584
Los Angeles Unified $103,820
California avg $110,546
National avg $70,245

Carpinteria Unified pays -11.8% less than Los Angeles Unified · per-pupil $28,219 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, Carpinteria Unified sits closest to Sonora Elementary; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Center Joint 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. Sonora Elementary
  2. Vallecito Union
  3. Norris Elementary
  4. Konocti Unified
  5. Gold Trail Union Elementary
  6. Willits Unified
  7. Moorpark Unified
  8. Rosedale Union Elementary
  9. Fruitvale Elementary
  10. Lucerne Valley Unified
  11. Hamilton Unified
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Center Joint Unified
  2. Orchard Elementary
  3. Menlo Park City Elementary
  4. Golden Plains Unified
  5. San Bruno Park Elementary
  6. El Monte Union High
  7. Rancho Santa Fe Elementary
  8. Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High
  9. Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified
  10. Dinuba Unified
  11. Trinity Alps Unified

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

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

Two out-of-state peer sets for Carpinteria Unified: closest on enrollment (2,001 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($91,584 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

$63.5M
Total Revenue
$56.5M
Total Expenditure
$13.7M
Instruction Salaries
24% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$8.7M
Regular Program
$1.5M
Special Education
$0.3M
Vocational

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 3 programs in Carpinteria Unified: the regular program, special education and vocational programs. It reports no separate figure for other programs. Together they are 76% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 24% 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 565 of 644, Carpinteria 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.

Beardsley Elementary
$93,484
1,941 students
Galt Joint Union High
$104,442
2,063 students
Millbrae Elementary
$117,578
2,070 students
Bishop Unified
$92,533
1,928 students
Fallbrook Union High
$107,459
2,093 students
Winton
$119,939
1,904 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 Carpinteria Unified
What is the average teacher salary in Carpinteria Unified?

The average teacher salary in Carpinteria Unified is $91,584 (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 Carpinteria Unified teacher pay compare to the California average?

Carpinteria Unified pays 17.2% less than the California state average of $110,546. The district's average is $91,584.

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

Carpinteria Unified pays 30.4% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $91,584.

What is the per-pupil spending in Carpinteria Unified?

Carpinteria Unified spends approximately $28,219 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 24% of Carpinteria Unified's total expenditure of $56.5M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Carpinteria 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. Carpinteria 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.