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School district · California · LEAID 0624480

Mendocino Unified

Mendocino Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (462 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Mendocino Unified come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$82,326
Est. avg teacher salary

Well below benchmark

$50,554
Per-pupil spending
462
Students enrolled
5th
Pct. in CA
$82,326

Mendocino Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (462 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $82,326, above the national average of $70,245, serving 462 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Mendocino Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (462 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 5th percentile for California
  • 77th percentile nationally
  • 17% 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.
  • Mendocino Unified ranks #711 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #9 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
  • +36.1% 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, Mendocino Unified's instructional payroll puts 75.4% into regular program , 10.4 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 Mendocino Unified CA median Gap
Regular program 75.4% 85.8% -10.4 pp
Special education 11.6% 10.8% +0.9 pp
Vocational programs 8.0% 0.0% +8.0 pp
Other programs 5.0% 0.4% +4.6 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 0624480 · FY2023.

LEAID 0624480 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Mendocino Unified F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -26% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P5 in state RANK-NAT-MID P77 national PPE-HIGH $51K/pupil ENR-TINY 462 students INSTR-LOW 17% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near South FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $82,326 estimated average teacher salary · P5 in California · P77 nationally · 17% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Modesto ($2,532est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Mendocino Unified

Salary neighbourhood · Mendocino Unified

Mendocino 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 Mendocino Unified

Mendocino Unified's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$82,326 Top 23% higher than 77% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $90,000–$100,000: 662 US districts (6%). Above this entry. $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. Mendocino 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

Mendocino 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 Mendocino Unified ranks #711 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #9 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

Mendocino 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 Mendocino Unified

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +36.1% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing California's statewide +25.3% by 10.9 points, a growth rate faster than 85% of the 856 California districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 536 to 462 students (13.8% 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.
  • It is a very small district (462 students), where the enrollment-based salary estimate is more sensitive to staffing mix.
  • Its per-pupil spending of $50,554 is among the highest in the nation.

California prices absorb part of this salary

Nominal district estimate
$82,325.581

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
$73,377

-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 Mendocino Unified

What the Numbers Say About Mendocino Unified

Mendocino Unified is a small school district in California, serving 462 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $50,554. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $82,326, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0624480 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the California statewide average of $110,546, teacher pay in Mendocino Unified runs materially below the state benchmark, a 25.5% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (17.2% differential). Among enrolling districts in California, it pays more than 5% 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, Mendocino Unified reports $23.4M in total expenditure against $17.5M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 17% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $2.4M, special-education teacher pay is $0.4M.

How does Mendocino Unified compare?

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

Mendocino Unified $82,326
Los Angeles Unified $103,820
California avg $110,546
National avg $70,245

Mendocino Unified pays -20.7% less than Los Angeles Unified · per-pupil $50,554 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, Mendocino Unified sits closest to South Fork Union; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Calaveras County Office of Education. 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. South Fork Union
  2. Lone Pine Unified
  3. Spreckels Union Elementary
  4. Shaffer Union Elementary
  5. Biggs Unified
  6. Liberty Elementary
  7. Columbia Elementary
  8. Trinity Alps Unified
  9. Fortuna Union High
  10. Bass Lake Joint Union Elementary
  11. Fall River Joint Unified
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Calaveras County Office of Education
  2. San Francisco County Office of Education
  3. Brisbane Elementary
  4. Ravenswood City Elementary
  5. Sausalito Marin City
  6. Weed Union Elementary
  7. Paradise Unified
  8. Mount Pleasant Elementary
  9. Shoreline Unified
  10. Las Lomitas Elementary
  11. Nevada County Office of Education

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

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

Two out-of-state peer sets for Mendocino Unified: closest on enrollment (462 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($82,326 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

$17.5M
Total Revenue
$23.4M
Total Expenditure
$3.9M
Instruction Salaries
17% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$2.4M
Regular Program
$0.4M
Special Education
$0.3M
Vocational
$0.2M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Mendocino 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 81% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 19% 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 625 of 645, Mendocino 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.

Soulsbyville Elementary
$94,906
484 students
Curtis Creek Elementary
$74,504
440 students
San Pasqual Union Elementary
$100,825
486 students
Columbia Union
$76,742
437 students
Round Valley Unified
$115,661
436 students
Coast Unified
$102,208
488 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 Mendocino Unified
What is the average teacher salary in Mendocino Unified?

The average teacher salary in Mendocino Unified is $82,326 (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 Mendocino Unified teacher pay compare to the California average?

Mendocino Unified pays 25.5% less than the California state average of $110,546. The district's average is $82,326.

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

Mendocino Unified pays 17.2% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $82,326.

What is the per-pupil spending in Mendocino Unified?

Mendocino Unified spends approximately $50,554 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 17% of Mendocino Unified's total expenditure of $23.4M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Mendocino 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. Mendocino 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.