Are teachers paid enough? See the average pay for every California school district

Average teacher pay in California public schools rose to $82,746 last school year, an increase of 2.6 percent from the prior year, new state data show.

Teacher pay was highest in Silicon Valley’s Mountain View-Los Altos Union High school district, where teachers earned, on average, about $136,500. A teacher making that salary still likely could not afford the median-priced home in Mountain View, which sold for about $1.7 million late last year, according to tracking firm Zillow.com.

More than a dozen very small districts in rural areas of California paid their teachers, on average, less than $50,000 last school year. Among districts employing at least 100 teachers, the lowest average pay was about $57,400 at Plumas Unified. The median-priced home in Plumas County sold for about $276,000 late last year, according to Zillow.

Among the 15 school districts with the most teachers in the four-county Sacramento region, the highest average teacher pay last school year was about $89,400 at Roseville Joint Union High. The lowest average pay was about $68,600 at Natomas Unified.

The average teacher pay at Sacramento City Unified was about $75,300 last school year. It was about $81,600 at Elk Grove Unified; $78,100 at San Juan Unified; $78,100 at Twin Rivers Unified and $77,400 at Folsom Cordova Unified.

Statewide, average teacher pay increased by about 16 percent between 2013-14 and 2018-19. By comparison, inflation rose about 8 percent during that time period.

Average teacher pay depends on a number of factors, not just the relative generosity or stinginess of a community’s school board. Pay usually increases with seniority, so a district with a preponderance of 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.

Phillip Reese is the Bee’s data specialist and teaches at Sacramento State: 916-321-1137.

This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 4:24 AM with the headline "Are teachers paid enough? See the average pay for every California school district."