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School district · California · LEAID 0611110

Desert Sands Unified

Desert Sands Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (26,379 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Desert Sands Unified come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$123,996
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$19,453
Per-pupil spending
26,379
Students enrolled
79th
Pct. in CA
$123,996

Desert Sands Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (26,379 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $123,996, above the national average of $70,245, serving 26,379 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Desert Sands Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (26,379 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 79th percentile for California
  • 97th percentile nationally
  • 32% 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.
  • Desert Sands Unified ranks #146 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #432 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
  • +22.4% 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, Desert Sands Unified's instructional payroll puts 78.2% into regular program , 7.6 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 Desert Sands CA median Gap
Regular program 78.2% 85.8% -7.6 pp
Special education 14.9% 10.8% +4.2 pp
Vocational programs 1.6% 0.0% +1.6 pp
Other programs 5.2% 0.4% +4.8 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 0611110 · FY2023.

LEAID 0611110 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Desert Sands F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +12% vs state RANK-ST-MID P79 in state RANK-NAT-TOP P97 national PPE-MID $19K/pupil ENR-LARGE 26.4K students INSTR-LOW 32% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Placentia-Yorba FY-2023-HEAVY FY2023 book

FY2023: $123,996 estimated average teacher salary · P79 in California · P97 nationally · 32% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Temecula ($261est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Desert Sands

Salary neighbourhood · Desert Sands

Desert Sands already leads 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 Desert Sands

Desert Sands Unified's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$123,996 Top 3% higher than 97% 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%). Below this entry. $110,000–$120,000: 249 US districts (2%). Below this entry. $120,000–$130,000: 156 US districts (1%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Desert Sands 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

Desert Sands in California's upper-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 Desert Sands Unified ranks #146 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #432 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

Desert Sands 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 Desert Sands Unified

  • It ranks in the top 5% of US districts for estimated teacher pay, higher than 97% of the 10,684 reliable-salary districts nationally.
  • Enrolment fell from 28,610 to 26,379 students (7.8% 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
$123,996.338

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
$110,519

-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 Desert Sands Unified

What the Numbers Say About Desert Sands Unified

Desert Sands Unified is a mid-sized school district in California, serving 26,379 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $19,453. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $123,996, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0611110 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the California statewide average of $110,546, teacher pay in Desert Sands Unified runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 12.2% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (76.5% differential). Among enrolling districts in California, it pays more than 79% 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, Desert Sands Unified reports $513.2M in total expenditure against $646.8M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 32% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $107.0M, special-education teacher pay is $20.4M.

How does Desert Sands Unified compare?

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

Desert Sands Unified $123,996
Los Angeles Unified $103,820
California avg $110,546
National avg $70,245

Desert Sands Unified pays +19.4% more than Los Angeles Unified · per-pupil $19,453 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, Desert Sands Unified sits closest to Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Redlands 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. Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified
  2. Adelanto Elementary
  3. Temecula Valley Unified
  4. Merced City Elementary
  5. Val Verde Unified
  6. Baldwin Park Unified
  7. Alhambra Unified
  8. Alameda Unified
  9. Upland Unified
  10. San Jacinto Unified
  11. El Rancho Unified
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Redlands Unified
  2. Santa Rosa City Schools
  3. Saugus Union
  4. Lancaster Elementary
  5. Arcadia Unified
  6. Visalia Unified
  7. Turlock Unified
  8. East Whittier City Elementary
  9. Stockton Unified
  10. Ceres Unified
  11. Lucia Mar Unified

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Desert Sands Unified's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Desert Sands Unified: closest on enrollment (26,379 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($123,996 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

$646.8M
Total Revenue
$513.2M
Total Expenditure
$162.3M
Instruction Salaries
32% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$107.0M
Regular Program
$20.4M
Special Education
$2.2M
Vocational
$7.1M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Desert Sands 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 84% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 16% 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. Desert Sands Unified sits in the upper quarter of that field at 147 of 644, nearer the ceiling than the floor. 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.

Palm Springs Unified
$126,926
21,029 students
William S. Hart Union High
$103,776
20,971 students
East Side Union High
$115,087
20,915 students
Lake Elsinore Unified
$129,536
20,788 students
Fairfield-Suisun Unified
$101,659
20,519 students
Folsom-Cordova Unified
$105,275
20,486 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 Desert Sands Unified
What is the average teacher salary in Desert Sands Unified?

The average teacher salary in Desert Sands Unified is $123,996 (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 Desert Sands Unified teacher pay compare to the California average?

Desert Sands Unified pays 12.2% more than the California state average of $110,546. The district's average is $123,996.

How does Desert Sands Unified teacher pay compare to the national average?

Desert Sands Unified pays 76.5% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $123,996.

What is the per-pupil spending in Desert Sands Unified?

Desert Sands Unified spends approximately $19,453 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 32% of Desert Sands Unified's total expenditure of $513.2M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Desert Sands 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. Desert Sands 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.