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School district · California · LEAID 0607970

Central Unified

Central Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (15,735 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Central Unified come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$108,431
Est. avg teacher salary

Near benchmark

$19,899
Per-pupil spending
15,735
Students enrolled
48th
Pct. in CA
$108,431

Central Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (15,735 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $108,431, above the national average of $70,245, serving 15,735 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Central Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (15,735 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 48th percentile for California
  • 94th percentile nationally
  • 27% 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.
  • Central Unified ranks #380 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #409 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
  • +27.4% 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, Central Unified's instructional payroll puts 82.7% into regular program , 3.1 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 Central Unified CA median Gap
Regular program 82.7% 85.8% -3.1 pp
Special education 11.6% 10.8% +0.8 pp
Vocational programs 2.8% 0.0% +2.8 pp
Other programs 2.8% 0.4% +2.5 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 0607970 · FY2023.

LEAID 0607970 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Central Unified F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-INLINE Near state avg RANK-ST-LOW P48 in state RANK-NAT-TOP P94 national PPE-MID $20K/pupil ENR-LARGE 15.7K students INSTR-LOW 27% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Fullerton FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $108,431 estimated average teacher salary · P48 in California · P94 nationally · 27% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Visalia (+$278est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Central Unified

Salary neighbourhood · Central Unified

Central Unified sits mid-pack among in-state peers; the chart brackets it between the top and bottom pay poles (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 Central Unified

Central Unified's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$108,431 Top 6% higher than 94% 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%). Below this entry. $100,000–$110,000: 371 US districts (3%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Central 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

Central 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 Central Unified ranks #380 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #409 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

Central 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 Central Unified

  • It ranks in the top 10% of US districts for estimated teacher pay, higher than 94% of the 10,684 reliable-salary districts nationally.

California prices absorb part of this salary

Nominal district estimate
$108,430.976

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
$96,645

-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 Central Unified

What the Numbers Say About Central Unified

Central Unified is a mid-sized school district in California, serving 15,735 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $19,899. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $108,431, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0607970 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the California statewide average of $110,546, teacher pay in Central Unified runs slightly below the state benchmark, a 1.9% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (54.4% differential). Among enrolling districts in California, it pays more than 48% 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, Central Unified reports $313.1M in total expenditure against $327.0M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 27% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $60.7M, special-education teacher pay is $8.5M.

How does Central Unified compare?

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

Central Unified $108,431
Los Angeles Unified $103,820
California avg $110,546
National avg $70,245

Central Unified pays +4.4% more than Los Angeles Unified · per-pupil $19,899 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, Central Unified sits closest to Fullerton Joint Union High; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Roseville Joint Union High. 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. Fullerton Joint Union High
  2. Sanger Unified
  3. Burbank Unified
  4. Atwater Elementary
  5. Visalia Unified
  6. Placer Union High
  7. Inglewood Unified
  8. Greenfield Union
  9. Sacramento City Unified
  10. West Covina Unified
  11. Livermore Valley Joint Unified
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Roseville Joint Union High
  2. William S. Hart Union High
  3. Rialto Unified
  4. Charter Oak Unified
  5. Natomas Unified
  6. Morongo Unified
  7. Lucia Mar Unified
  8. Alvord Unified
  9. Stockton Unified
  10. East Whittier City Elementary
  11. San Lorenzo Unified

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

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

Two out-of-state peer sets for Central Unified: closest on enrollment (15,735 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($108,431 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

$327.0M
Total Revenue
$313.1M
Total Expenditure
$84.8M
Instruction Salaries
27% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$60.7M
Regular Program
$8.5M
Special Education
$2.1M
Vocational
$2.1M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Central 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 87% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 13% 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. Central Unified places 369 of 644 comparably sized districts, squarely in the middle band the state average actually represents. 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.

Coachella Valley Unified
$135,278
16,455 students
Ventura Unified
$99,463
14,969 students
Alhambra Unified
$124,474
14,877 students
Grossmont Union High
$120,827
16,675 students
Santa Rosa City Schools
$79,972
14,788 students
Santa Maria-Bonita
$106,139
16,703 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 Central Unified
What is the average teacher salary in Central Unified?

The average teacher salary in Central Unified is $108,431 (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 Central Unified teacher pay compare to the California average?

Central Unified pays 1.9% less than the California state average of $110,546. The district's average is $108,431.

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

Central Unified pays 54.4% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $108,431.

What is the per-pupil spending in Central Unified?

Central Unified spends approximately $19,899 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 27% of Central Unified's total expenditure of $313.1M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Central 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. Central 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.