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School district · California · LEAID 0600027

Lake Elsinore Unified

Lake Elsinore Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (20,788 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Lake Elsinore Unified come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$129,536
Est. avg teacher salary

Well above benchmark

$16,968
Per-pupil spending
20,788
Students enrolled
84th
Pct. in CA
$129,536

Lake Elsinore Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (20,788 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $129,536, above the national average of $70,245, serving 20,788 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Lake Elsinore Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (20,788 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 84th percentile for California
  • 98th percentile nationally
  • 39% 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.
  • Lake Elsinore Unified ranks #104 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #614 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
  • +27.1% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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LEAID 0600027 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Lake Elsinore F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +17% vs state RANK-ST-MID P84 in state RANK-NAT-TOP P98 national PPE-MID $17K/pupil ENR-LARGE 20.8K students INSTR-MID 39% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Corona-Norco FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $129,536 estimated average teacher salary · P84 in California · P98 nationally · 39% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Corona-Norco (+$26est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Lake Elsinore

Salary neighbourhood · Lake Elsinore

Lake Elsinore 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 Lake Elsinore

Lake Elsinore Unified's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$129,536 Top 2% higher than 98% 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. Lake Elsinore 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

Lake Elsinore 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 Lake Elsinore Unified ranks #104 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #614 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

Lake Elsinore 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 Lake Elsinore Unified

  • It ranks in the top 5% of US districts for estimated teacher pay, higher than 98% of the 10,684 reliable-salary districts nationally.

California prices absorb part of this salary

Nominal district estimate
$129,536.455

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
$115,457

-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 Lake Elsinore Unified

What the Numbers Say About Lake Elsinore Unified

Lake Elsinore Unified is a mid-sized school district in California, serving 20,788 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $16,968. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $129,536, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0600027 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the California statewide average of $110,546, teacher pay in Lake Elsinore Unified runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 17.2% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (84.4% differential). Among enrolling districts in California, it pays more than 84% 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, Lake Elsinore Unified reports $352.7M in total expenditure against $426.8M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 39% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $98.4M, special-education teacher pay is $14.5M.

How does Lake Elsinore Unified compare?

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

Lake Elsinore Unified $129,536
Los Angeles Unified $103,820
California avg $110,546
National avg $70,245

Lake Elsinore Unified pays +24.8% more than Los Angeles Unified · per-pupil $16,968 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, Lake Elsinore Unified sits closest to Corona-Norco Unified; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Panama-Buena Vista Union. 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. Corona-Norco Unified
  2. Bellflower Unified
  3. Ocean View
  4. San Dieguito Union High
  5. Manhattan Beach Unified
  6. Hesperia Unified
  7. Berryessa Union Elementary
  8. Dublin Unified
  9. La Mesa-Spring Valley
  10. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified
  11. Evergreen Elementary
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Panama-Buena Vista Union
  2. Poway Unified
  3. Fairfield-Suisun Unified
  4. Woodland Joint Unified
  5. Hesperia Unified
  6. Redondo Beach Unified
  7. Torrance Unified
  8. Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified
  9. Clovis Unified
  10. Orange Unified
  11. Brea-Olinda Unified

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Lake Elsinore Unified's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Lake Elsinore Unified: closest on enrollment (20,788 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($129,536 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

$426.8M
Total Revenue
$352.7M
Total Expenditure
$137.1M
Instruction Salaries
39% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$98.4M
Regular Program
$14.5M
Special Education
$2.0M
Vocational
$2.0M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Lake Elsinore 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 85% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 15% 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. Lake Elsinore Unified sits in the upper quarter of that field at 107 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.

Orange Unified
$115,788
24,740 students
Santa Maria-Bonita
$106,139
16,703 students
Grossmont Union High
$120,827
16,675 students
Coachella Valley Unified
$135,278
16,455 students
Conejo Valley Unified
$113,118
16,322 students
Salinas Union High
$117,297
16,236 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 Lake Elsinore Unified
What is the average teacher salary in Lake Elsinore Unified?

The average teacher salary in Lake Elsinore Unified is $129,536 (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 Lake Elsinore Unified teacher pay compare to the California average?

Lake Elsinore Unified pays 17.2% more than the California state average of $110,546. The district's average is $129,536.

How does Lake Elsinore Unified teacher pay compare to the national average?

Lake Elsinore Unified pays 84.4% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $129,536.

What is the per-pupil spending in Lake Elsinore Unified?

Lake Elsinore Unified spends approximately $16,968 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 39% of Lake Elsinore Unified's total expenditure of $352.7M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Lake Elsinore 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. Lake Elsinore 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.