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School district · California · LEAID 0601421

Santa Paula Unified

Santa Paula Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (4,852 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Santa Paula Unified come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$125,741
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$24,000
Per-pupil spending
4,852
Students enrolled
81st
Pct. in CA
$125,741

Santa Paula Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (4,852 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $125,741, above the national average of $70,245, serving 4,852 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Santa Paula Unified is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable California districts (4,852 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 81st percentile for California
  • 98th percentile nationally
  • 28% 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 Paula Unified ranks #126 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #168 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
  • +31.1% 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, Santa Paula Unified's instructional payroll puts 81.8% into regular program , 4.0 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 Paula CA median Gap
Regular program 81.8% 85.8% -4.0 pp
Special education 14.5% 10.8% +3.8 pp
Vocational programs 2.2% 0.0% +2.2 pp
Other programs 1.5% 0.4% +1.1 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 0601421 · FY2023.

LEAID 0601421 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Santa Paula F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +14% vs state RANK-ST-MID P81 in state RANK-NAT-TOP P98 national PPE-HIGH $24K/pupil ENR-MID 4,852 students INSTR-LOW 28% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Azusa FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $125,741 estimated average teacher salary · P81 in California · P98 nationally · 28% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: San (+$42est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Santa Paula

Salary neighbourhood · Santa Paula

Santa Paula 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 Paula

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

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$125,741 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. Santa Paula 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 Paula 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 Paula Unified ranks #126 of 750 California districts by estimated teacher salary and #168 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 Paula 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 Paula 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.
  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +31.1% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing California's statewide +25.3% by 5.9 points, a growth rate faster than 73% of the 856 California districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 5,265 to 4,852 students (7.8% 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.

California prices absorb part of this salary

Nominal district estimate
$125,740.741

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
$112,073

-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 Paula Unified

What the Numbers Say About Santa Paula Unified

Santa Paula Unified is a small-to-mid-sized school district in California, serving 4,852 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $24,000. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $125,741, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0601421 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 Paula Unified runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 13.7% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (79.0% differential). Among enrolling districts in California, it pays more than 81% 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 Paula Unified reports $116.5M in total expenditure against $129.1M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 28% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $22.8M, special-education teacher pay is $4.0M.

How does Santa Paula 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 Paula Unified $125,741
Los Angeles Unified $103,820
California avg $110,546
National avg $70,245

Santa Paula Unified pays +21.1% more than Los Angeles Unified · per-pupil $24,000 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 Paula Unified sits closest to Azusa Unified; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Paramount 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. Azusa Unified
  2. Wiseburn Unified
  3. Garvey Elementary
  4. Brentwood Union Elementary
  5. Cupertino Union
  6. Whittier City Elementary
  7. Savanna Elementary
  8. Victor Elementary
  9. Burlingame Elementary
  10. Temple City Unified
  11. Union Elementary
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Paramount Unified
  2. Hilmar Unified
  3. Anaheim Elementary
  4. Inglewood Unified
  5. Pasadena Unified
  6. Fort Bragg Unified
  7. West Sonoma County Union High
  8. Cambrian
  9. Kings Canyon Joint Unified
  10. Tamalpais Union High
  11. Franklin-McKinley Elementary

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Santa Paula Unified's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Santa Paula Unified: closest on enrollment (4,852 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($125,741 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

$129.1M
Total Revenue
$116.5M
Total Expenditure
$33.1M
Instruction Salaries
28% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$22.8M
Regular Program
$4.0M
Special Education
$0.6M
Vocational
$0.4M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Santa Paula 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 84% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 16% 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 Paula Unified sits in the upper quarter of that field at 127 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.

Travis Unified
$112,789
5,326 students
Banning Unified
$121,098
4,370 students
Benicia Unified
$105,602
4,367 students
Union Elementary
$124,974
5,351 students
La Habra City Elementary
$131,321
4,352 students
Kerman Unified
$107,099
5,357 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 Paula Unified
What is the average teacher salary in Santa Paula Unified?

The average teacher salary in Santa Paula Unified is $125,741 (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 Paula Unified teacher pay compare to the California average?

Santa Paula Unified pays 13.7% more than the California state average of $110,546. The district's average is $125,741.

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

Santa Paula Unified pays 79.0% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $125,741.

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

Santa Paula Unified spends approximately $24,000 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 28% of Santa Paula Unified's total expenditure of $116.5M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Santa Paula 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 Paula 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.