Kern High School District teacher salaries
Kern High School District is a high school district in Kern County, with its district office in Bakersfield. Pay starts at $62,889 on the first step. The largest group (36%) is on the BA+90+MA column, which climbs to $134,832 by step 32.
Lowest
$62,889
BA, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$95,791
- $5,255 above Kern County average
- $7,761 below California average
Highest
$134,832
BA+90+MA, step 32
Kern High average
Kern County average$90,536
California average$103,552
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 2,072
- Starting salary
- $62,889
- BA, step 1
- Median salary
- $97,840
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 386th of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Does Kern High 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
Kern High's average of $95,791 is above the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
Kern High ranks 386th of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 37 reporting districts in Kern County
Kern High ranks 6th of 37, above the middle district.
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.
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 Kern High's BA column pays $63,847. Experienced teachers joining Kern High can be placed as high as step 13.
- 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. Kern High's columns run from BA to BA+90+MA, 8 in all.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Kern High?
Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$101,924
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $134,832 on step 32.
Kern High's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 28% of Kern High's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.
| Step | BA | BA+15 | BA+30 | BA+45 | BA+60 | BA+75 | BA+90 | BA+90+MA |
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| 32 |
Only BA+90, BA+90+MA continue past step 13.
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+
- 178
Bonuses, health cover and work days at Kern High
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 planNot reported
- Master's degree bonusNot reported
- Doctorate bonus$3,89321 full-time equivalents eligible
- Bilingual teaching bonusNot reported
- National Board Certification bonusNot reported
- Special education bonusNot reported
- Summer school pay$69 an hour
- Work days a year183 days180 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year1%
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 13
Questions about teacher pay at Kern High
How much do Kern High teachers make?
The average salary on Kern High's teacher schedule is $95,791 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $62,889 (BA, step 1) to $134,832 (BA+90+MA, step 32).
What does a new teacher earn at Kern High?
The schedule starts at $62,889 (BA, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 13.
How long does it take to reach the top of the Kern High pay scale?
On the BA+90+MA column, where 36% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 32, where it reaches $134,832. Steps go up with years of service.
Is Kern High teacher pay high for California?
Kern High's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 386th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 6th of 37 in Kern County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $90,536 in Kern County.
Keep exploring teacher pay in Kern County
Sources for the Kern High 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.
- Kern High'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.