Central Unified School District teacher salaries

Central Unified School District is a unified school district in Fresno County, with its district office in Fresno. Pay starts at $59,013 on the first step. The largest group (65%) is on the BA+75 column, which climbs to $119,880 by step 19.

Lowest

$59,013

BA, step 1

Average salary on the teacher schedule1

$100,858

  • $3,203 above Fresno County average
  • $2,694 below California average

Highest

$119,880

BA+75, step 19

Central Unified average

AveragesFresno County $97,655, California $103,552

Full-time equivalents on the schedule
700
Starting salary
$59,013
BA, step 1
Median salary
$102,026
Half earn more, half earn less
Average pay rank in California
283rd of 828 reporting
of 828 reporting

Does Central 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.

Yes

Central Unified's average of $100,858 is above the middle California district's $94,573.

All 828 reporting districts in California

Central Unified ranks 283rd of 828.

Central Unified
$50k$100k$150k

Middle district: $94,573

The 21 reporting districts in Fresno County

Central Unified ranks 4th of 21, above the middle district.

Central Unified
$80k$100k

Middle district: $92,536

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. Experienced teachers joining Central Unified can be placed as high as step 19.
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. Central Unified's columns run from BA to BA+75, 5 in all.

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

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

$96,927

a year at step 10. This column tops out at $119,880 on step 19.

$119,880$59,013
Step 1Step 19
Chosen columnOther columns, same type

Central Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252

Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 51% of Central Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.

StepBABA+30BA+45BA+60BA+75
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19

Only BA+30, BA+45, BA+60, BA+75 continue past step 1.

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. 271
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 Central 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 Central Unified

How much do Central Unified teachers make?

The average salary on Central Unified's teacher schedule is $100,858 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $59,013 (BA, step 1) to $119,880 (BA+75, step 19).

What does a new teacher earn at Central Unified?

The schedule starts at $59,013 (BA, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 19.

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

On the BA+75 column, where 65% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 19, where it reaches $119,880. Steps go up with years of service.

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

Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Central Unified reports a master's bonus of $2,259 on top. For a doctorate it reports $2,824.

Is Central Unified teacher pay high for California?

Central Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 283rd of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 4th of 21 in Fresno County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $97,655 in Fresno County.

Keep exploring teacher pay in Fresno County

Sources for the Central 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. Central 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