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State profile · NCES F-33 FY2023

Teacher Salary in California

California is in the largest third by reported enrollment (5,280,435 students) among states with NCES enrollment. According to the NCES Common Core of Data finance survey, estimated teacher pay and per-pupil spending are available for every public school district in California.

$110,546
Est. state avg salary

Well above benchmark

+57.4%
vs national
#2
National rank
954
Districts

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$110,546/year (est.)

California is in the largest third by reported enrollment (5,280,435 students) among states with NCES enrollment. Estimated average teacher salary is $110,546, meaningfully above the national average of $70,245, ranking #2 of 49, across 777 public school districts with reliable data (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Large K-12 enrollment scale: California is in the largest third by reported enrollment (5,280,435 students) among states with NCES enrollment.
  • top decile nationally (#2 of 49)
  • California ranks #2 of 49 on the salary estimate and #1 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • $128,132 spread between its highest- and lowest-paying districts
  • +57.4% vs the national average
  • +25.3% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (balanced cohort, not the FTE average above)
  • #2 of 49 purchasing-power-adjusted (BEA RPP 112.2)

California sits in the top decile for estimated pay

Across 777 reliable-salary districts, the average estimate is $110,546: #2 of 49 jurisdictions with a reliable district estimate, and 57.4% above the national benchmark of $70,245.

The rank compares the same F-33-derived district measure nationwide. It does not include benefits, experience steps, taxes, or local living costs; use it as a relative state placement rather than an exact paycheck.

California purchasing-power check on upper-third pay

California's nominal average teacher salary ranks #2 of the 49 states and territories that report teacher salaries. Adjusted by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2023 Regional Price Parity (112.2, US = 100, a relative state-level price-level index, not a district or metro cost-of-living figure), the estimate becomes $104,341, ranking #2 of 49 , unchanged from the nominal rank. This purchasing-power view is not published by NEA's teacher-pay rankings or the aggregator sites; it comes from combining our own F-33-derived salary estimate with BEA's public RPP series. See the full 51-state release for methodology and download. BEA Regional Price Parities · NCES CCD F-33

California in the teacher-salary distribution

FY2023 estimated state averages from the same NCES-derived ranking

$110,546 Top 4% higher than 96% of 49 reporting states and territories

Show national distribution $0–$5,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $5,000–$10,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $10,000–$15,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $15,000–$20,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$25,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$30,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $30,000–$35,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $35,000–$40,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $40,000–$45,000: 1 reporting states and territories (2%). Below this entry. $45,000–$50,000: 2 reporting states and territories (4%). Below this entry. $50,000–$55,000: 6 reporting states and territories (12%). Below this entry. $55,000–$60,000: 5 reporting states and territories (10%). Below this entry. $60,000–$65,000: 9 reporting states and territories (18%). Below this entry. $65,000–$70,000: 7 reporting states and territories (14%). Below this entry. $70,000–$75,000: 2 reporting states and territories (4%). Below this entry. $75,000–$80,000: 4 reporting states and territories (8%). Below this entry. $80,000–$85,000: 5 reporting states and territories (10%). Below this entry. $85,000–$90,000: 5 reporting states and territories (10%). Below this entry. $90,000–$95,000: 1 reporting states and territories (2%). Below this entry. $95,000–$100,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $100,000–$105,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $105,000–$110,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $110,000–$115,000: 1 reporting states and territories (2%). This entry sits in this band. $115,000–$120,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Above this entry. $120,000–$125,000: 1 reporting states and territories (2%). Above this entry. California $0 $125,000 reporting state salary estimates, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $5K-wide band; taller bars hold more reporting states and territories. 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; state estimates derived from reported instructional-salary expenditure and teacher FTE · FY2023

California's comparable salary trend

Same reporting-district cohort, FY2019-FY2023

FY2023 estimated average
$79,724 25.261488753307187% vs FY2019
851 districts held in the panel
$60,000$65,000$70,000$75,000$80,000$85,000 FY2019FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023 California est. avg teacher salary, FY2019: $63,646California est. avg teacher salary, FY2020: $64,759California est. avg teacher salary, FY2021: $67,919California est. avg teacher salary, FY2022: $74,191California est. avg teacher salary, FY2023: $79,724 $63,646 $79,724 ▲ +25.3%
Read the chart as text
Period California est. avg teacher salary
FY2019 $63,646
FY2020 $64,759
FY2021 $67,919
FY2022 $74,191
FY2023 $79,724

Highest-paying districts in California

Estimated average teacher salary, enrolling districts (200+ students)

Est. avg salary

What this shows Calaveras County Office of Education leads California on the F-33 instructional-salary estimate. Service entities (CTCs, county offices) are excluded, their enrollment-based ratios are not reliable salary figures.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 As of FY2023

Top 3 districts

1 $178,519

Calaveras County Office of Education

Est. avg teacher salary
2 $178,265

San Bernardino County Office of Education

Est. avg teacher salary
3 $176,980

Las Lomitas Elementary

Est. avg teacher salary

Districts by Estimated Teacher Salary

District Est. Avg Salary Enrollment Per-Pupil Exp
Calaveras County Office of Education $178,519 449 $50,753
San Bernardino County Office of Education $178,265 2,028 N/A
Las Lomitas Elementary $176,980 1,146 $57,544
Mountain View-Los Altos Union High $176,774 4,430 $43,993
Carmel Unified $171,535 2,273 $35,514
Butte County Office of Education $171,118 358 N/A
Portola Valley Elementary $170,458 513 $74,536
Santa Clara Unified $169,610 13,884 $35,504
Saint Helena Unified $167,325 1,120 $42,252
Palo Alto Unified $166,334 10,285 $37,953
Calistoga Joint Unified $165,941 804 $33,480
Marin County Office of Education $165,570 284 N/A
Laguna Beach Unified $165,400 2,440 $32,506
Hillsborough City Elementary $163,742 1,292 $33,245
Los Angeles County Office of Education $162,805 1,533 N/A
Los Gatos Union Elementary $160,810 2,622 $23,582
Ontario-Montclair $159,751 18,428 $22,752
Montecito Union Elementary $157,241 353 $71,059
Cardiff Elementary $157,037 641 $30,808
Fresno County Office of Education $156,394 748 N/A
Solana Beach Elementary $156,313 2,721 $30,176
Glenn County Office of Education $154,816 320 N/A
Woodside Elementary $153,170 371 $41,022
Sacramento County Office of Education $152,661 938 N/A
Hawthorne $152,060 7,090 $22,687
Fremont Union High $151,790 9,978 $32,355
Menlo Park City Elementary $151,483 2,702 $28,480
Buellton Union Elementary $150,408 519 $35,655
Seeley Union Elementary $149,469 346 $24,708
Sunnyvale $148,431 5,456 $30,779
San Luis Obispo County Office of Education $147,653 310 N/A
Encinitas Union Elementary $147,327 4,646 $19,059
Yolo County Office of Education $147,210 204 N/A
San Diego Unified $147,163 93,694 $29,302
Saratoga Union Elementary $146,984 1,625 $29,796
Lawndale Elementary $146,582 4,555 $46,342
Westminster $146,304 8,144 $22,951
Monterey County Office of Education $145,883 633 N/A
National Elementary $144,992 4,341 $25,044
Chula Vista Elementary $144,718 22,218 $22,845
Del Mar Union Elementary $144,671 3,748 $27,225
Arcadia Unified $144,264 8,805 $19,610
Humboldt County Office of Education $143,799 285 N/A
Pacific Grove Unified $143,143 1,772 $30,024
Santa Ana Unified $143,111 39,899 $25,305
Garden Grove Unified $142,592 38,157 $23,514
South Whittier Elementary $142,544 2,312 $26,724
Downey Unified $141,681 22,328 $21,779
Fallbrook Union Elementary $140,830 4,978 $21,751
East Whittier City Elementary $140,612 7,610 $19,677
Covina-Valley Unified $140,540 11,101 $28,559
Brawley Union High $140,513 2,055 $21,314
Cucamonga Elementary $140,481 2,299 $25,126
San Francisco County Office of Education $140,478 270 $48,778
Tahoe-Truckee Unified $140,295 3,965 $27,254
Pacific Union Elementary $140,105 344 $25,701
Brawley Elementary $139,676 3,868 $25,330
Liberty Elementary $139,020 217 $23,507
Calexico Unified $138,916 8,353 $23,389
Robla Elementary $138,813 1,903 $25,946
Mountain View Elementary $138,164 4,937 $26,140
Cypress Elementary $138,057 3,387 $17,887
Huntington Beach City Elementary $138,051 4,699 $25,964
Sequoia Union High $137,995 8,489 $30,498
South Bay Union $137,916 5,856 $23,361
Alvord Unified $137,729 17,071 $20,096
Jurupa Unified $137,699 18,314 $22,231
Hayward Unified $137,634 17,887 $26,109
Norwalk-La Mirada Unified $137,609 15,382 $23,137
Hueneme Elementary $137,436 7,133 $23,175
San Leandro Unified $136,825 8,615 $27,008
San Mateo Union High $136,455 8,899 $34,293
Goleta Union Elementary $136,207 3,416 $24,977
San Ysidro Elementary $136,143 4,255 $22,051
El Centro Elementary $135,825 5,256 $20,616
Rowland Unified $135,783 11,893 $23,409
Fremont Unified $135,613 33,057 $19,148
Imperial County Office of Education $135,484 860 N/A
Mill Valley Elementary $135,467 2,364 $23,198
Coachella Valley Unified $135,278 16,455 $22,806
El Monte City $135,249 6,995 $25,796
Fullerton Elementary $135,239 11,620 $18,696
Sutter County Office of Education $135,238 376 N/A
Santa Cruz County Office of Education $134,872 1,069 $67,535
Anaheim Elementary $134,627 14,606 $24,025
Paramount Unified $134,598 12,698 $24,014
Chaffey Joint Union High $134,421 23,058 $20,989
Campbell Union $133,615 6,243 $23,599
Buena Park Elementary $133,591 3,956 $23,529
Whittier Union High $133,589 10,568 $26,029
Milpitas Unified $133,270 9,955 $24,229
Long Beach Unified $133,097 65,129 $22,602
Montebello Unified $133,079 20,395 $25,447
San Francisco Unified $132,875 48,722 $25,665
Tustin Unified $132,773 21,694 $18,344
Los Alamitos Unified $132,681 8,906 $17,444
Fountain Valley Elementary $132,520 5,968 $16,753
Heber Elementary $132,200 1,186 $22,249
Perris Elementary $132,156 5,537 $19,289
Cajon Valley Union $132,106 15,308 $20,381

Showing 1–100 of 777 enrolling districts. Specialized non-enrolling agencies (career/technical centers, county offices, service co-ops) are excluded from the salary ranking, their enrollment-based estimates are not reliable.

Lowest-Paying Districts in California

District Est. Avg Salary Enrollment
Pacific Union Elementary $50,387 571
Southern Humboldt Joint Unified $66,332 708
Laytonville Unified $69,017 337
Junction Elementary $69,241 381
Susanville Elementary $69,293 1,044
Scott Valley Unified $70,563 622
Borrego Springs Unified $71,323 358
Modoc Joint Unified $73,332 832
Potter Valley Community Unified $74,103 276
Curtis Creek Elementary $74,504 440

Among enrolling districts (200+ students) with a reliable estimate; service entities excluded, see methodology.

Nationwide peers near California's large K-12 scale

Two nationwide peer sets for California: closest on estimated average teacher salary ($110,546 here) and closest on total student enrollment (5,280,435 here). Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not geographic containment.

Similar estimated salary

Nearest other states by unweighted district-mean teacher pay (F-33 derived, ≥5 districts with reliable estimates).

Similar enrollment

Nearest other states by NCES-reported K-12 enrollment. Salary peers above are excluded.

Compare Nearby-Ranked States

District of Columbia
$124,986
Rank #1
Delaware
$92,029
Rank #3
New York
$89,760
Rank #4
Rhode Island
$89,674
Rank #5

Data: NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey + Staff Universe Survey, FY2023. Salary figures divide instructional expenditure (variable Z33) by each district's reported teacher FTE, or an estimated FTE for the small minority with no reported figure. Not individual salary data. Read our methodology.

California teacher salary FAQ

What is the average teacher salary in California?

Across 777 California public school districts with reliable data, the average teacher salary is $110,546 (NCES CCD F-33 reported teacher salaries divided by CCD Staff Universe Survey teacher headcounts, FY2023). It is a district-level mean derived from finance filings, so it will not match a contract-salary survey exactly, read it as a relative comparison.

Which California school district pays teachers the most?

Calaveras County Office of Education reports the highest average teacher salary in California at $178,519, while Pacific Union Elementary sits at the lower end at $50,387.

How does California teacher pay compare to the national average?

California's average of $110,546 is meaningfully above the national average of $70,245 (+57.4%), ranking #2 of the 49 jurisdictions with a reliable district estimate.

How many school districts are in California?

California has 954 public school districts in the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, together serving 5,266,708 students.

How much do teachers make in California?

District-average teacher pay in California runs from $50,387 in Pacific Union Elementary to $178,519 in Calaveras County Office of Education, with 537 of 777 reliable-data districts at $100,000 or above. Where a teacher lands depends far more on which district employs them than on the statewide figure. These are district-wide averages from NCES CCD F-33 (FY2023), not individual salaries or pay-scale steps.

Can teachers earn $100,000 in California?

537 of 777 California districts with reliable data report an estimated average teacher salary of $100,000 or more, led by Calaveras County Office of Education at $178,519. This is a district-wide average, not an individual salary, step, or years-of-experience figure.

How does California rank after adjusting for cost of living?

Within the separate enrollment-weighted state comparison, BEA's 2023 Regional Price Parity (112.2, US=100) adjusts California's nominal estimate of $117,066 from #2 to $104,341 and #2. The headline uses an unweighted district mean, so this does not replace it. Neither measure is take-home pay, taxes, or district/metro cost of living.

Explore California

Disclaimer & data sources

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainTeacher for California