Ferndale Unified School District teacher salaries

Ferndale Unified School District is a unified school district in Humboldt County, with its district office in Ferndale. Pay starts at $48,765 on the first step. The largest group (48%) is on the BA+90 column, which climbs to $90,131 by step 25.

Lowest

$48,765

BA+30, step 1

Average salary on the teacher schedule1

$74,712

  • $1,657 above Humboldt County average
  • $28,840 below California average

Highest

$90,131

BA+90, step 25

Ferndale Unified average

Humboldt County average$73,055

California average$103,552above the highest salary here

Full-time equivalents on the schedule
37
Starting salary
$48,765
BA+30, step 1
Median salary
$76,851
Half earn more, half earn less
Average pay rank in California
710th of 828 reporting
of 828 reporting

Does Ferndale 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

Ferndale Unified's average of $74,712 is below the middle California district's $94,573.

All 828 reporting districts in California

Ferndale Unified ranks 710th of 828.

Ferndale Unified
$50k$100k$150k

Middle district: $94,573

The 22 reporting districts in Humboldt County

Ferndale Unified ranks 5th of 22, above the middle district.

Ferndale Unified
$40k$60k$80k

Middle district: $71,450

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 Ferndale Unified's BA+30 column pays $57,051. Experienced teachers joining Ferndale Unified can be placed as high as step 25.
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. Ferndale Unified's columns run from BA+30 to BA+90, 5 in all.

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

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

$74,510

a year at step 10. This column tops out at $90,131 on step 25.

$90,131$48,765
Step 1Step 25
Chosen columnOther columns, same type

Ferndale Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252

Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 40% of Ferndale Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.

StepBA+30BA+45BA+60BA+75BA+90
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

Only BA+90 continues past step 21.

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. 6
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 Ferndale 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 Ferndale Unified

How much do Ferndale Unified teachers make?

The average salary on Ferndale Unified's teacher schedule is $74,712 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $48,765 (BA+30, step 1) to $90,131 (BA+90, step 25).

What does a new teacher earn at Ferndale Unified?

The schedule starts at $48,765 (BA+30, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 25.

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

On the BA+90 column, where 48% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 25, where it reaches $90,131. Steps go up with years of service.

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

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

Is Ferndale Unified teacher pay high for California?

Ferndale Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 710th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 5th of 22 in Humboldt County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $73,055 in Humboldt County.

Keep exploring teacher pay in Humboldt County

Sources for the Ferndale 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. Ferndale 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