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School district · California · LEAID 0684500

Irvine Unified

Irvine Unified spends $15,964 per pupil, in the lowest third among comparable California districts with a reliable figure. Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Irvine Unified come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$119,935
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$15,964
Per-pupil spending
36,462
Students enrolled
71st
Pct. in CA
$119,935

Irvine Unified spends $15,964 per pupil, in the lowest third among comparable California districts with a reliable figure. Estimated average teacher salary is $119,935, above the national average of $70,245, serving 36,462 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower per-pupil spending: Irvine Unified spends $15,964 per pupil, in the lowest third among comparable California districts with a reliable figure.
  • 71st percentile for California
  • 96th percentile nationally
  • 33% 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.
  • Irvine Unified ranks #202 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #677 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
  • +22.6% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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LEAID 0684500 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Irvine Unified F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-ABOVE +8% vs state RANK-ST-MID P71 in state RANK-NAT-TOP P96 national PPE-MID $16K/pupil ENR-LARGE 36.5K students INSTR-LOW 33% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Pomona FY-2023-HEAVY FY2023 book

FY2023: $119,935 estimated average teacher salary · P71 in California · P96 nationally · 33% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Moreno ($77est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Irvine Unified

Salary neighbourhood · Irvine Unified

Irvine Unified 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 Irvine Unified

Irvine Unified's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$119,935 Top 4% higher than 96% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Irvine 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

What stands out about Irvine Unified

  • It ranks in the top 5% of US districts for estimated teacher pay, higher than 96% of the 10,684 reliable-salary districts nationally.

California prices absorb part of this salary

Nominal district estimate
$119,934.976

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
$106,899

-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 Irvine Unified

What the Numbers Say About Irvine Unified

Irvine Unified is a mid-sized school district in California, serving 36,462 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $15,964. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $119,935, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0684500 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the California statewide average of $110,546, teacher pay in Irvine Unified runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 8.5% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (70.7% differential). Among enrolling districts in California, it pays more than 71% 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, Irvine Unified reports $582.1M in total expenditure against $710.1M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 33% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $141.0M, special-education teacher pay is $20.3M.

How does Irvine Unified compare?

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

Irvine Unified $119,935
Los Angeles Unified $103,820
California avg $110,546
National avg $70,245

Irvine Unified pays +15.5% more than Los Angeles Unified · per-pupil $15,964 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, Irvine Unified sits closest to Pomona Unified; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Burbank 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. Pomona Unified
  2. Moreno Valley Unified
  3. Turlock Unified
  4. San Jose Unified
  5. Vista Unified
  6. Etiwanda Elementary
  7. Lancaster Elementary
  8. ABC Unified
  9. Redlands Unified
  10. Oxnard
  11. Grossmont Union High
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Burbank Unified
  2. Murrieta Valley Unified
  3. San Ramon Valley Unified
  4. Bonita Unified
  5. Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified
  6. Apple Valley Unified
  7. Temecula Valley Unified
  8. Tulare City
  9. Capistrano Unified
  10. Rocklin Unified
  11. Menifee Union

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Nationwide districts with profiles like Irvine Unified

Two out-of-state peer sets for Irvine Unified: closest on enrollment (36,462 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($119,935 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

$710.1M
Total Revenue
$582.1M
Total Expenditure
$192.6M
Instruction Salaries
33% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$141.0M
Regular Program
$20.3M
Special Education
$1.7M
Vocational
$3.0M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Irvine 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 86% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 14% 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. Irvine Unified places 200 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

The bar behind each salary shows its magnitude within this California sample (including Irvine Unified). Hover or focus a value for the exact comparison.

Hemet Unified
$122,492
22,281 students
Murrieta Valley Unified
$125,007
22,274 students
Corona-Norco Unified
$129,563
50,682 students
Chula Vista Elementary
$144,718
22,218 students
Antelope Valley Union High
$113,669
22,001 students
Tustin Unified
$132,773
21,694 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 Irvine Unified
What is the average teacher salary in Irvine Unified?

The average teacher salary in Irvine Unified is $119,935 (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 Irvine Unified teacher pay compare to the California average?

Irvine Unified pays 8.5% more than the California state average of $110,546. The district's average is $119,935.

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

Irvine Unified pays 70.7% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $119,935.

What is the per-pupil spending in Irvine Unified?

Irvine Unified spends approximately $15,964 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 33% of Irvine Unified's total expenditure of $582.1M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Irvine 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. Irvine 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.