Kern County teacher salaries by district, 2024-25

The average salary on teacher schedules in Kern County is $90,536 across 37 reporting districts, $13,016 below the California average. Sort, filter and search every one of them below.

Lowest-paying district

$74,847

Buttonwillow Union Elementary

Average salary on Kern County teacher schedules1

$90,536

California average: $103,552

Highest-paying district

$99,874

Wasco Union High

Median district
$83,787
Half the county's districts pay a lower average
Districts reporting
37
all in the table below
Full-time equivalents
8,774
on teacher schedules in the county
Typical raise on last year
1%2
median of the 19 districts reporting a raise

What stands out in Kern County teacher salaries

Which Kern County districts have the highest and lowest teacher salaries?

By average salary on the teacher schedule, among districts with at least 20 full-time equivalents.

Highest average salary

  1. Wasco Union High92 full-time equivalents$99,874
  2. Delano Joint Union High212 full-time equivalents$97,288
  3. Delano Union Elementary334 full-time equivalents$97,084
  4. Taft Union High69 full-time equivalents$96,233
  5. Kern High2,072 full-time equivalents$95,791

Lowest average salary

  1. Buttonwillow Union Elementary28 full-time equivalents$74,847
  2. Sierra Sands Unified263 full-time equivalents$77,241
  3. Kernville Union Elementary50 full-time equivalents$77,424
  4. El Tejon Unified40 full-time equivalents$77,962
  5. Muroc Joint Unified112 full-time equivalents$78,666

How much do teacher salaries vary across Kern County?

All 37 reporting districts by average salary. The middle district pays $83,787, $10,786 below the middle California district's $94,573.

$60k$80k$100k

Middle district: $83,787

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

Compare teacher salaries in every Kern County district

Average, lowest and highest salary on each district's teacher schedule. Click a column to sort it.

Showing 1 to 25 of 37 districts, highest average salary first.

McKittrick Elementary$103,820$57,648$116,8970%6
Wasco Union High$99,874$62,956$129,9520.75%92
Delano Joint Union High$97,288$62,451$131,7680.75%212
Delano Union Elementary$97,084$62,504$122,2700%334
Taft Union High$96,233$48,777$125,2522.5%69
Kern High$95,791$62,889$134,8321%2,072
Panama-Buena Vista Union$94,230$58,805$119,0641%764
Fairfax Elementary$92,179$60,928$128,9021%150
Greenfield Union$91,875$60,824$119,7471%440
Lamont Elementary$91,810$60,845$109,8860%139
Richland Union Elementary$91,257$53,408$113,6990%154
Bakersfield City$90,521$59,232$118,0120%1,677
Arvin Union$89,318$58,602$113,9120%168
Southern Kern Unified$89,148$54,770$115,4742.5%196
McFarland Unified$87,260$58,356$109,3331.5%155
Wasco Union Elementary$86,645$55,131$110,7120%192
Rosedale Union Elementary$85,207$55,954$113,8351%322
Kern County Office of Education$84,315$58,281$108,5770%167
Mojave Unified$83,787$52,024$117,8250%120
Standard Elementary$83,305$56,701$117,1681%160
Tehachapi Unified$82,667$53,853$105,4300.5%205
Taft City$81,803$58,493$114,4761%126
Fruitvale Elementary$80,894$55,000$112,7870%164
Edison Elementary$80,620$56,399$111,4520%62
Rio Bravo-Greeley Union Elementary$80,563$53,292$100,9770%51

A raise of 0% can also mean the district left that question blank; the state's file doesn't tell the two apart. Districts without a link have fewer than 20 full-time equivalents, too few for a page of their own. Districts with fewer than 5 are left out to protect privacy.

Questions about teacher pay in Kern County

What is the average teacher salary in Kern County?

$90,536 a year in 2024-25: the average across everyone on the teacher salary schedules of 37 reporting districts in Kern County. That's $13,016 below the California average of $103,552. The median Kern County district pays $83,787 on average.

Which Kern County school district pays teachers the most?

Among districts with at least 20 full-time equivalents, Wasco Union High has the highest average salary, $99,874, followed by Delano Joint Union High ($97,288) and Delano Union Elementary ($97,084).

Which Kern County school district pays teachers the least?

Among districts with at least 20 full-time equivalents, Buttonwillow Union Elementary has the lowest average salary, $74,847, followed by Sierra Sands Unified ($77,241) and Kernville Union Elementary ($77,424).

How much do teachers earn on the first step in Kern County?

Across the county's districts, the median lowest salary on the schedule is $55,954 and the median top salary is $112,787. In some districts the first step is for teachers who don't yet hold a full credential; each district page shows which column it is.

How much did teacher pay in Kern County rise last year?

Of the 19 districts that reported a raise above 0%, the median raise on the salary schedule was 1%. Another 18 show 0%, which in the state's file can also mean the question was left blank.

Average teacher salaries in the counties next to Kern County

Average salary on teacher schedules in each neighbouring county.3

Keep exploring teacher pay in California

Sources for the Kern County figures

Salaries are the annual amounts on each 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 and can include counselors, nurses and librarians paid on the same schedule. The county average, medians and rankings are our own arithmetic on these figures, using the same method as the state's published averages.

  1. Each district's report to the California Department of Education, Form J-90 database, 2024-25: salary schedules and full-time equivalents.
  2. California Department of Education, Selected Certificated Salaries and Related Statistics, 2024-25, Table I: each district's raise on last year.
  3. U.S. Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2024: which counties border each other.

How we read the data