Downey Unified School District teacher salaries

Downey Unified School District is a unified school district in Los Angeles County, with its district office in Downey. Pay starts at $70,532 on the first step. The largest group (72%) is on the BA+75 OR MA+45 column, which climbs to $144,379 by step 30.

Lowest

$70,532

BA, step 1

Average salary on the teacher schedule1

$118,371

  • $14,877 above Los Angeles County average
  • $14,819 above California average

Highest

$144,379

BA+75 OR MA+45, step 30

Downey Unified average

AveragesLos Angeles County $103,494, California $103,552

Full-time equivalents on the schedule
1,160
Starting salary
$70,532
BA, step 1
Median salary
$124,233
Half earn more, half earn less
Average pay rank in California
67th of 828 reporting
of 828 reporting

Does Downey 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

Downey Unified's average of $118,371 is above the middle California district's $94,573.

All 828 reporting districts in California

Downey Unified ranks 67th of 828.

Downey Unified
$50k$100k$150k

Middle district: $94,573

The 71 reporting districts in Los Angeles County

Downey Unified ranks 11th of 71, above the middle district.

Downey Unified
$80k$100k$120k

Middle district: $103,471

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 Downey Unified's BA column pays $80,974. Experienced teachers joining Downey Unified can be placed as high as step 30.
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. Downey Unified's columns run from BA to BA+75 OR MA+45, 5 in all.

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

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

$116,127

a year at step 10. This column tops out at $144,379 on step 30.

$144,379$70,532
Step 1Step 30
Chosen columnOther columns, same type

Downey Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252

Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 56% of Downey Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.

StepBABA+30 OR MABA+45 OR MA+15BA+60 OR MA+30BA+75 OR MA+45
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
26
27
28
29
30

Only BA+60 OR MA+30, BA+75 OR MA+45 continue past step 29.

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. 101
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 Downey 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 Downey Unified

How much do Downey Unified teachers make?

The average salary on Downey Unified's teacher schedule is $118,371 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $70,532 (BA, step 1) to $144,379 (BA+75 OR MA+45, step 30).

What does a new teacher earn at Downey Unified?

The schedule starts at $70,532 (BA, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 30.

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

On the BA+75 OR MA+45 column, where 72% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 30, where it reaches $144,379. Steps go up with years of service.

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

Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Downey Unified reports a master's bonus of $801 on top. For a doctorate it reports $3,291.

Is Downey Unified teacher pay high for California?

Downey Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 67th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 11th of 71 in Los Angeles County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $103,494 in Los Angeles County.

Keep exploring teacher pay in Los Angeles County

Sources for the Downey 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. Downey 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