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School district · California · LEAID 0635310

Santa Ana Unified

Santa Ana Unified sits in the highest third of California districts on estimated teacher pay at $143,111 (above 94% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Santa Ana Unified come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$143,111
Est. avg teacher salary

Well above benchmark

$25,305
Per-pupil spending
39,899
Students enrolled
94th
Pct. in CA
$143,111

Santa Ana Unified sits in the highest third of California districts on estimated teacher pay at $143,111 (above 94% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $143,111, above the national average of $70,245, serving 39,899 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Upper-third pay in state: Santa Ana Unified sits in the highest third of California districts on estimated teacher pay at $143,111 (above 94% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 94th percentile for California
  • 99th percentile nationally
  • 34% 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.
  • Santa Ana Unified ranks #32 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #131 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
  • +45.4% 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, Santa Ana Unified's instructional payroll puts 77.3% into regular program , 8.5 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 Santa Ana CA median Gap
Regular program 77.3% 85.8% -8.5 pp
Special education 18.7% 10.8% +7.9 pp
Other programs 3.9% 0.4% +3.5 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 0635310 · FY2023.

LEAID 0635310 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Santa Ana F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +29% vs state RANK-ST-TOP P94 in state RANK-NAT-TOP P99 national PPE-HIGH $25K/pupil ENR-LARGE 39.9K students INSTR-LOW 34% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Garden FY-2023-HEAVY FY2023 book

FY2023: $143,111 estimated average teacher salary · P94 in California · P99 nationally · 34% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Garden ($519est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Santa Ana

Salary neighbourhood · Santa Ana

Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana

Santa Ana Unified's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$143,111 Top 1% higher than 99% 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%). Below this entry. $130,000–$140,000: 112 US districts (1%). Below this entry. $140,000–$150,000: 57 US districts (1%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Santa Ana 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

Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana Unified ranks #32 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #131 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

Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana Unified

  • It ranks in the top 5% of US districts for estimated teacher pay, higher than 99% of the 10,684 reliable-salary districts nationally.
  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +45.4% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing California's statewide +25.3% by 20.1 points, a growth rate faster than 93% of the 856 California districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 46,923 to 39,899 students (15.0% 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.
  • Its per-pupil spending of $25,305 is among the highest in the nation.

California prices absorb part of this salary

Nominal district estimate
$143,110.659

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
$127,555

-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 Santa Ana Unified

What the Numbers Say About Santa Ana Unified

Santa Ana Unified is a mid-sized school district in California, serving 39,899 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $25,305. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $143,111, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0635310 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the California statewide average of $110,546, teacher pay in Santa Ana Unified runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 29.5% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (103.7% differential). Among enrolling districts in California, it pays more than 94% 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, Santa Ana Unified reports $1009.7M in total expenditure against $1207.9M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 34% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $216.5M, special-education teacher pay is $52.3M.

How does Santa Ana Unified compare?

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

Santa Ana Unified $143,111
Los Angeles Unified $103,820
California avg $110,546
National avg $70,245

Santa Ana Unified pays +37.8% more than Los Angeles Unified · per-pupil $25,305 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, Santa Ana Unified sits closest to Garden Grove Unified; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Pomona 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. Garden Grove Unified
  2. Downey Unified
  3. Chula Vista Elementary
  4. Covina-Valley Unified
  5. San Diego Unified
  6. Alvord Unified
  7. Jurupa Unified
  8. Hayward Unified
  9. Norwalk-La Mirada Unified
  10. Rowland Unified
  11. Fremont Unified
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Pomona Unified
  2. Montebello Unified
  3. Compton Unified
  4. San Francisco Unified
  5. Newport-Mesa Unified
  6. Whittier Union High
  7. Hayward Unified
  8. Twin Rivers Unified
  9. San Bernardino City Unified
  10. Pleasanton Unified
  11. Pasadena Unified

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Santa Ana Unified's enrollment scale

Two out-of-state peer sets for Santa Ana Unified: closest on enrollment (39,899 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($143,111 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

$1207.9M
Total Revenue
$1009.7M
Total Expenditure
$342.3M
Instruction Salaries
34% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$216.5M
Regular Program
$52.3M
Special Education
$0.5M
Vocational
$10.9M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Santa Ana 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 82% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 18% 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. Santa Ana Unified sits in the upper quarter of that field at 35 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

Large-district sample from 776 California peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.

Palm Springs Unified
$126,926
21,029 students
Riverside Unified
$125,818
39,380 students
Sacramento City Unified
$108,973
38,588 students
Garden Grove Unified
$142,592
38,157 students
Capistrano Unified
$121,180
41,749 students
San Juan Unified
$113,455
37,776 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 Santa Ana Unified
What is the average teacher salary in Santa Ana Unified?

The average teacher salary in Santa Ana Unified is $143,111 (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 Santa Ana Unified teacher pay compare to the California average?

Santa Ana Unified pays 29.5% more than the California state average of $110,546. The district's average is $143,111.

How does Santa Ana Unified teacher pay compare to the national average?

Santa Ana Unified pays 103.7% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $143,111.

What is the per-pupil spending in Santa Ana Unified?

Santa Ana Unified spends approximately $25,305 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 34% of Santa Ana Unified's total expenditure of $1009.7M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Santa Ana 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. Santa Ana 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.