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School district · California · LEAID 0600018

Mountain Valley Unified

Mountain Valley Unified sits in the lowest third of California districts on estimated teacher pay at $79,498 (above only 3% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Mountain Valley Unified come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$79,498
Est. avg teacher salary

Well below benchmark

$20,195
Per-pupil spending
329
Students enrolled
3rd
Pct. in CA
$79,498

Mountain Valley Unified sits in the lowest third of California districts on estimated teacher pay at $79,498 (above only 3% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $79,498, above the national average of $70,245, serving 329 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: Mountain Valley Unified sits in the lowest third of California districts on estimated teacher pay at $79,498 (above only 3% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 3rd percentile for California
  • 73rd percentile nationally
  • 31% 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.
  • Mountain Valley Unified ranks #724 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #391 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
  • +2.3% 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, Mountain Valley Unified's instructional payroll puts 12.6% into vocational programs , 12.6 points above the state median of 0.0%. That heavier vocational share usually means career/technical programs claim more of the teacher-salary pool than at a typical California peer.

Program Mountain Valley CA median Gap
Regular program 80.0% 85.8% -5.8 pp
Special education 5.0% 10.8% -5.8 pp
Vocational programs 12.6% 0.0% +12.6 pp
Other programs 2.4% 0.4% +2.0 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 0600018 · FY2023.

LEAID 0600018 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Mountain Valley F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -28% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P3 in state RANK-NAT-MID P73 national PPE-MID $20K/pupil ENR-TINY 329 students INSTR-LOW 31% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near West FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $79,498 estimated average teacher salary · P3 in California · P73 nationally · 31% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Modesto (+$296est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Mountain Valley

Salary neighbourhood · Mountain Valley

Mountain Valley 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 Mountain Valley

Mountain Valley Unified's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$79,498 Top 27% higher than 73% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $80,000–$90,000: 1,097 US districts (10%). Above this entry. $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. Mountain Valley 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

Mountain Valley 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 Mountain Valley Unified ranks #724 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #391 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

Mountain Valley 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 Mountain Valley Unified

  • Estimated teacher pay here moved +2.3% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing California's statewide +25.3% by 22.9 points, a growth rate faster than 4% of the 856 California districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment grew 29.5% here, from 254 students in FY2019 to 329 in FY2023, against a national picture where far more districts shrank than grew over the same period. Growth of this kind typically arrives before the funding that follows it, so per-pupil figures often dip while a district absorbs it.
  • It is a very small district (329 students), where the enrollment-based salary estimate is more sensitive to staffing mix.

California prices absorb part of this salary

Nominal district estimate
$79,497.693

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
$70,857

-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 Mountain Valley Unified

What the Numbers Say About Mountain Valley Unified

Mountain Valley Unified is a small school district in California, serving 329 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $20,195. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $79,498, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0600018 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the California statewide average of $110,546, teacher pay in Mountain Valley Unified runs materially below the state benchmark, a 28.1% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (13.2% differential). Among enrolling districts in California, it pays more than 3% 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, Mountain Valley Unified reports $6.6M in total expenditure against $8.8M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 31% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $1.2M, special-education teacher pay is $0.1M.

How does Mountain Valley Unified compare?

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

Mountain Valley Unified $79,498
Los Angeles Unified $103,820
California avg $110,546
National avg $70,245

Mountain Valley Unified pays -23.4% less than Los Angeles Unified · per-pupil $20,195 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, Mountain Valley Unified sits closest to West Park Elementary; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Vallecito 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. West Park Elementary
  2. Gold Oak Union Elementary
  3. Trona Joint Unified
  4. Sequoia Union Elementary
  5. Summerville Elementary
  6. Durham Unified
  7. Trinity Alps Unified
  8. Columbia Elementary
  9. Liberty Elementary
  10. Placer Hills Union Elementary
  11. Lucerne Elementary
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Vallecito Union
  2. East Nicolaus Joint Union High
  3. Gravenstein Union Elementary
  4. Yreka Union High
  5. Los Molinos Unified
  6. Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified
  7. Aromas - San Juan Unified
  8. Sunol Glen Unified
  9. Siskiyou Union High
  10. Palermo Union Elementary
  11. Waukena Joint Union Elementary

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Mountain Valley Unified's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Mountain Valley Unified: closest on enrollment (329 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($79,498 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

$8.8M
Total Revenue
$6.6M
Total Expenditure
$2.0M
Instruction Salaries
31% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$1.2M
Regular Program
$0.1M
Special Education
$0.2M
Vocational
$0.0M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Mountain Valley 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 76% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 24% 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 632 of 645, Mountain Valley 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.

Oak View Union Elementary
$89,645
379 students
Del Norte County Office of Education
$104,737
380 students
Jamestown Elementary
$99,029
380 students
Chualar Union
$90,614
278 students
Springville Union Elementary
$102,240
329 students
Bella Vista Elementary
$87,219
329 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 Mountain Valley Unified
What is the average teacher salary in Mountain Valley Unified?

The average teacher salary in Mountain Valley Unified is $79,498 (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 Mountain Valley Unified teacher pay compare to the California average?

Mountain Valley Unified pays 28.1% less than the California state average of $110,546. The district's average is $79,498.

How does Mountain Valley Unified teacher pay compare to the national average?

Mountain Valley Unified pays 13.2% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $79,498.

What is the per-pupil spending in Mountain Valley Unified?

Mountain Valley Unified spends approximately $20,195 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 31% of Mountain Valley Unified's total expenditure of $6.6M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Mountain Valley 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. Mountain Valley 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.