California Teacher Salaries

What does the NCES F-33 data show for California?

California reports 955 public school districts in the NCES Common Core of Data FY2022 Local Education Agency Finance Survey, with an estimated average teacher salary of $85,774. That places the state in the middle third of US teacher-pay rankings — #21 of 51, near the national F-33 estimate of $82,292 (+4.2%). The state's public schools serve 5,323,918 students across these districts.

Among enrolling districts, pay varies widely: Saint Helena Unified reports the highest estimated average salary at $199,366, while Liberty Elementary sits at the lower end at $52,710 — a spread of $146,656 between top and bottom reporting districts. Licensing rules, state aid formulas, collective bargaining density, and local tax bases all drive this intra-state variation. Urban and suburban districts with larger tax bases typically lead, while rural districts often lag despite lower cost of living.

Teacher compensation here reflects both state policy choices — the statutory minimum salary schedule, pension funding levels, licensure reciprocity — and the funding formula that determines how much state aid each district receives per pupil. A #21 national rank signals where California sits in the competition for teachers against neighboring states; teacher shortage areas typically correlate with lower pay rank. Figures below are per-district estimates derived from the F-33 instructional salary expenditure field (Z33) divided by estimated teacher FTE — a district-level aggregate, not individual salary records.