See teacher pay for each California school district. Most teachers got a modest pay raise
Teacher pay in California rose modestly last school year — but not as fast as inflation.
Average teacher pay in California public schools rose to $88,508 in the 2020-21 school year, an increase of 3.1% from 2020-21, new state data show.
By comparison, inflation rose by about 8.6% from May 2021 to May 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, meaning that California teachers typically saw their real wages drop significantly.
Over the same period, typical home values in California rose by about 21% to $791,000, according to Zillow. (Home values have dropped about 4% since May, largely due to high mortgage rates).
Teacher pay was highest in Silicon Valley’s Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District, where teachers earned, on average, about $152,500.
A quick way to adjust pay for cost of living is to calculate the difference between average teacher salary and the cost of the typically priced home. A teacher making $152,500 in Mountain View would have a hard time buying the median-valued home in Santa Clara County, which cost about $1,543,000 at the end of 2022, according to tracking firm Zillow.com. By that metric, many of the best-off teachers are in rural districts where salaries are relatively modest, but home prices are low.
Statewide, average teacher pay increased by about 15% between 2015-16 and 2021-22. By comparison, inflation rose about 22% during that time period.
Average teacher pay depends on a number of factors. Pay increases with seniority, so a district with mostly veteran teachers would tend to pay more on average than a district with a lot of inexperienced teachers. Cost of living also plays a role, as districts located in expensive communities must pay more to attract talent.
Statewide, average teacher pay increased by about 15% between 2015-16 and 2021-22. By comparison, inflation rose about 22% during that time period.
Average teacher pay depends on a number of factors. Pay increases with seniority, so a district with mostly veteran teachers would tend to pay more on average than a district with a lot of inexperienced teachers. Cost of living also plays a role, as districts located in expensive communities must pay more to attract talent.
How we got teacher salary data
The salary data is taken from a form sent to school districts each year. Districts educating the large majority of the state’s students usually complete the form. The figures used in this story show the “average salary paid” line from the form. That line is “the average salary that is paid to an employee on the certificated salary schedule. The average salary is determined by dividing the total salary schedule cost by FTE,” an acronym for full-time equivalent teachers.
