Orinda Union School District teacher salaries
Orinda Union School District is an elementary school district in Contra Costa County, with its district office in Orinda. A teacher with a full credential starts at $66,991. The largest group (53%) is on the BA+75 column, which climbs to $123,091 by step 20.
Lowest
$46,523
BA before a full credential, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$99,084
- $1,413 below Contra Costa County average
- $4,468 below California average
Highest
$123,091
BA+75 with a credential, step 20
Orinda Union average
AveragesContra Costa County $100,497, California $103,552
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 141
- Starting salary
- $66,991
- BA with a credential, step 1
- Median salary
- $95,081
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 314th of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Does Orinda Union 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.
Yes
Orinda Union's average of $99,084 is above the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
Orinda Union ranks 314th of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 18 reporting districts in Contra Costa County
Orinda Union ranks 10th of 18, below the middle district.
Middle district: $99,272
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 Orinda Union's BA column pays $70,385. Experienced teachers joining Orinda Union can be placed as high as step 11.
- 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. Orinda Union's columns run from BA to BA+75, 5 in all.
- Credentialed
- Holds a full California teaching credential, the state license to teach. Orinda Union's credentialed columns start at $66,991.
- Without full credential
- Teachers who don't yet hold a full credential. Orinda Union pays them on separate columns, starting at $46,523.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Orinda Union?
Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$101,052
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $123,091 on step 20.
Orinda Union's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 34% of Orinda Union's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.
| Step | BA | BA+30 | BA+45 | BA+60 | BA+75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | |||||
| 3 | |||||
| 4 | |||||
| 5 | |||||
| 6 | |||||
| 7 | |||||
| 8 | |||||
| 9 | |||||
| 10 | |||||
| 11 | |||||
| 12 | |||||
| 13 | |||||
| 14 to 15 | |||||
| 16 to 17 | |||||
| 18 to 19 | |||||
| 20 |
Only BA+75 continues past step 13.
| Step | BA |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 | |
| 7 | |
| 8 | |
| 9 | |
| 10 |
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.
- 5+
- 35
Bonuses, health cover and work days at Orinda Union
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.
- Health insurance, family planUp to $26,710paid by the district each year
- Master's degree bonus$1,42570 full-time equivalents eligible
- Doctorate bonus$1,4256 full-time equivalents eligible
- Bilingual teaching bonusNot reported
- National Board Certification bonusNot reported
- Special education bonusNot reported
- Summer school payNot reported
- Work days a year186 days180 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year1%
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 11
Questions about teacher pay at Orinda Union
How much do Orinda Union teachers make?
The average salary on Orinda Union's teacher schedule is $99,084 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $46,523 (BA before a full credential, step 1) to $123,091 (BA+75 with a credential, step 20).
What does a new teacher earn at Orinda Union?
A new teacher with a full credential starts at $66,991 (BA column, step 1). Teachers without a full credential start lower, at $46,523. Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 11.
How long does it take to reach the top of the Orinda Union pay scale?
On the BA+75 column, where 53% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 20, where it reaches $123,091. Steps go up with years of service.
Does a master's degree raise pay at Orinda Union?
Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Orinda Union reports a master's bonus of $1,425 on top. For a doctorate it reports $1,425.
Is Orinda Union teacher pay high for California?
Orinda Union's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 314th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 10th of 18 in Contra Costa County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $100,497 in Contra Costa County.
Keep exploring teacher pay in Contra Costa County
Sources for the Orinda Union 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.
- 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.
- Orinda Union'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.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #17D: Exemption for Professional Employees Under the FLSA: teachers are exempt from federal overtime pay.