Fresno Unified School District teacher salaries

Fresno Unified School District is a unified school district in Fresno County, with its district office in Fresno. A teacher with a full credential starts at $65,641. The largest group (32%) is on the BA+75 column, which climbs to $123,525 by step 26.

Lowest

$59,054

NON-CRED before a full credential, step 1

Average salary on the teacher schedule¹

$103,209

$5,554 above Fresno County average
about the same as the California average

Highest

$147,789

BA+84 200-218 DAYS with a credential, step 26

Fresno Unified average

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

Full-time equivalents on the schedule: 4,059
Starting salary: $65,641; BA+30 with a credential, step 1
Median salary: $105,818; Half earn more, half earn less
Average pay rank in California: 247th of 828 reporting; of 828 reporting

Does Fresno 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

Fresno Unified's average of $103,209 is above the middle California district's $94,573.

All 828 reporting districts in California

Fresno Unified ranks 247th of 828.

Fresno Unified

$50k$100k$150k

Middle district: $94,573

The 21 reporting districts in Fresno County

Fresno Unified ranks 2nd of 21, above the middle district.

Fresno 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. Step 5 on Fresno Unified's BA+30 column pays $76,770. Experienced teachers joining Fresno Unified can be placed as high as step 10.
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. Fresno Unified's columns run from BA+30 to BA+84 200-218 DAYS, 17 in all.
Credentialed: Holds a full California teaching credential, the state license to teach. Fresno Unified's credentialed columns start at $65,641.
Without full credential: Teachers who don't yet hold a full credential. Fresno Unified pays them on separate columns, starting at $59,054.

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

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

Degree and units (column)Step (roughly years of experience): 10

$105,116

a year at step 10. This column tops out at $123,525 on step 26.

$147,789$59,054

Step 1Step 26

Chosen columnOther columns, same type

Fresno Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-25²

Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 38% of Fresno Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.

Fresno Unified credentialed salary schedule, 2024-25. Annual salary in dollars by step (rows) and column (units past a bachelor's degree).
Step	BA+30	BA+45	BA+60	BA+75	BA+84	BA+30 NURSE	BA+45 NURSE	BA+60 NURSE	BA+75 NURSE	BA+84 NURSE	BA+30 195 DAYS	BA+45 195 DAYS	BA+60 195 DAYS	BA+75 195 DAYS	BA+84 195 DAYS	BA+75 200-218 DAYS	BA+84 200-218 DAYS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15 to 20
21 to 25
26

Fresno Unified without full credential salary schedule, 2024-25. Annual salary in dollars by step (rows) and column (units past a bachelor's degree).
Step	NON-CRED	NURSE	195 DAYS
1
2
3
4
5 to 10
11
12
13
14
15 to 20
21 to 25
26

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

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 Fresno 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.

Health insurance, family planUp to $22,000paid by the district each year
Master's degree bonus$1,0001,391 full-time equivalents eligible
Doctorate bonus$1,50024 full-time equivalents eligible
Bilingual teaching bonus$500202 full-time equivalents eligible
National Board Certification bonus$1,25040 full-time equivalents eligible
Special education bonus$3,000660 full-time equivalents eligible
Summer school payNot reported
Work days a year185 days180 of them with students
Schedule raise on last year3%
Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 10

Questions about teacher pay at Fresno Unified

How much do Fresno Unified teachers make?

The average salary on Fresno Unified's teacher schedule is $103,209 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $59,054 (NON-CRED before a full credential, step 1) to $147,789 (BA+84 200-218 DAYS with a credential, step 26).

What does a new teacher earn at Fresno Unified?

A new teacher with a full credential starts at $65,641 (BA+30 column, step 1). Teachers without a full credential start lower, at $59,054. Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 10.

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

On the BA+75 column, where 32% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 26, where it reaches $123,525. Steps go up with years of service.

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

Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Fresno Unified reports a master's bonus of $1,000 on top. For a doctorate it reports $1,500.

Is Fresno Unified teacher pay high for California?

Fresno Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 247th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 2nd 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

Compare all 21 Fresno County districtsStarting, average and top pay side by side, sortable

Sources for the Fresno 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.

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.
Fresno 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.
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