Chico Unified School District teacher salaries

Chico Unified School District is a unified school district in Butte County, with its district office in Chico. Pay starts at $56,997 on the first step. The largest group (79%) is on the BA+60 column, which climbs to $121,381 by step 31.

Lowest

$56,997

BA, step 1

Average salary on the teacher schedule1

$85,627

  • $2,602 below Butte County average
  • $17,925 below California average

Highest

$121,381

BA+60, step 31

Chico Unified average

Butte County average$88,229

California average$103,552

Full-time equivalents on the schedule
790
Starting salary
$56,997
BA, step 1
Median salary
$84,446
Half earn more, half earn less
Average pay rank in California
558th of 828 reporting
of 828 reporting

Does Chico Unified pay teachers more than the median California district?

Line up all 828 reporting California districts from the lowest average salary to the highest. The one in the middle is the median district: half the districts pay a lower average, half pay a higher one. A median isn't pulled up or down by a few unusually high- or low-paying districts, so it shows what a typical district pays.

No

Chico Unified's average of $85,627 is below the middle California district's $94,573.

All 828 reporting districts in California

Chico Unified ranks 558th of 828.

Chico Unified
$50k$100k$150k

Middle district: $94,573

The 13 reporting districts in Butte County

Chico Unified ranks 9th of 13, below the middle district.

Chico Unified
$80k$100k

Middle district: $90,738

Each bar counts the districts whose average salary falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the median district.

What BA+98, steps and credentials mean

Teacher pay in California is set by a grid. Two things place you on it: how long you've taught and how much college you've done.

Step
Steps go up with years of service. Step 5 on Chico Unified's BA column pays $62,411. Experienced teachers joining Chico Unified can be placed as high as step 15.
Column, such as BA+98
Your bachelor's degree (BA) plus the college semester units you've completed since. BA+98 means a bachelor's plus 98 more units. Chico Unified's columns run from BA to BA+60, 3 in all.

How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Chico Unified?

Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.

$77,121

a year at step 10. This column tops out at $121,381 on step 31.

$121,381$56,997
Step 1Step 39
Chosen columnOther columns, same type

Chico Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252

Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 43% of Chico Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.

StepBABA+45BA+60
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32 to 33
34 to 35
36 to 39

Only BA+60 continues past step 30.

Swipe the table sideways for more columns.

Tap any salary to see how many full-time equivalents are paid it and follow it on the chart above.

Full-time equivalents in a cell
  1. 5+
  5. 33
Cells with fewer than 5 stay unshaded. Bold figures sit in the three darkest shades.Striped cells: this column has no salary at that step.

Bonuses, health cover and work days at Chico Unified

Bonuses are paid on top of the schedule, in the amounts the district reported.2 Teachers are exempt from federal overtime pay.3 Extra pay for coaching, clubs and similar duties isn't part of this report.

Questions about teacher pay at Chico Unified

How much do Chico Unified teachers make?

The average salary on Chico Unified's teacher schedule is $85,627 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $56,997 (BA, step 1) to $121,381 (BA+60, step 31).

What does a new teacher earn at Chico Unified?

The schedule starts at $56,997 (BA, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 15.

How long does it take to reach the top of the Chico Unified pay scale?

On the BA+60 column, where 79% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 31, where it reaches $121,381. Steps go up with years of service.

Does a master's degree raise pay at Chico Unified?

Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Chico Unified reports a master's bonus of $1,540 on top.

Is Chico Unified teacher pay high for California?

Chico Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 558th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 9th of 13 in Butte County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $88,229 in Butte County.

Keep exploring teacher pay in Butte County

Sources for the Chico Unified figures

Salaries are the annual amounts on the district's certificated salary schedule. Following the state's definitions, they leave out extended-year pay, bonuses and extra-curricular pay such as coaching. Counts are full-time equivalents, so two half-time teachers count as one, and they can include counselors, nurses and librarians paid on the same schedule. County averages, ranks and percentages are our own arithmetic on these figures; our statewide average matches the state's published $103,552.

  1. California Department of Education, Selected Certificated Salaries and Related Statistics, 2024-25, Table I: average salary paid, raise on last year, highest starting step. The median salary is our own calculation from source 2.
  2. Chico Unified's report to the California Department of Education, Form J-90 database, 2024-25: salary schedule, full-time equivalents per cell, bonuses, health contributions, work days.
  3. U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #17D: Exemption for Professional Employees Under the FLSA: teachers are exempt from federal overtime pay.

How we read the data