Los Angeles Unified School District teacher salaries
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a unified school district in Los Angeles County, with its district office in Los Angeles. A teacher with a full credential starts at $69,304. The largest group (42%) is on the BA+98 column, which climbs to $119,824 by step 30.
Lowest
$60,420
BA before a full credential, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$99,155
- $4,339 below Los Angeles County average
- $4,397 below California average
Highest
$122,706
BA+98 special education, step 30
Los Angeles Unified average
AveragesLos Angeles County $103,494, California $103,552
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 22,880
- Starting salary
- $69,304
- BA with a credential, step 1
- Median salary
- $105,573
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 312th of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Does Los Angeles 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
Los Angeles Unified's average of $99,155 is above the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
Los Angeles Unified ranks 312th of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 71 reporting districts in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles Unified ranks 50th of 71, below the middle district.
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 Los Angeles Unified's BA column pays $70,946. Experienced teachers joining Los Angeles 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. Los Angeles Unified's columns run from BA to BA+98, 8 in all.
- Credentialed
- Holds a full California teaching credential, the state license to teach. Los Angeles Unified's credentialed columns start at $69,304.
- Without full credential
- Teachers who don't yet hold a full credential. Los Angeles Unified pays them on separate columns, starting at $60,420.
- Special education
- Teachers of students with disabilities. Los Angeles Unified pays them on a separate schedule that starts at $72,186, above the regular $69,304.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Los Angeles Unified?
Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$110,234
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $119,824 on step 30.
Los Angeles Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 38% of Los Angeles Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.
| Step | BA | BA+14 | BA+28 | BA+42 | BA+56 | BA+70 | BA+84 | BA+98 |
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| Step | BA | BA+14 | BA+28 | BA+42 | BA+56 | BA+70 | BA+84 | BA+98 |
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| Step | BA | BA+14 | BA+28 | BA+42 | BA+56 | BA+70 | BA+84 | BA+98 |
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Only BA+98 continues past step 10.
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+
- 2,637
Bonuses, health cover and work days at Los Angeles 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 $23,166paid by the district each year
- Master's degree bonus$58412,487 full-time equivalents eligible
- Doctorate bonus$1,168421 full-time equivalents eligible
- Bilingual teaching bonus$5,4064,119 full-time equivalents eligible
- National Board Certification bonusNot reported
- Special education bonusNot reported
- Summer school payNot reported
- Work days a year183 days180 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year7%
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 10
Questions about teacher pay at Los Angeles Unified
How much do Los Angeles Unified teachers make?
The average salary on Los Angeles Unified's teacher schedule is $99,155 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $60,420 (BA before a full credential, step 1) to $122,706 (BA+98 special education, step 30).
What does a new teacher earn at Los Angeles Unified?
A new teacher with a full credential starts at $69,304 (BA column, step 1). Teachers without a full credential start lower, at $60,420. 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 Los Angeles Unified pay scale?
On the BA+98 column, where 42% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 30, where it reaches $119,824. Steps go up with years of service.
Does a master's degree raise pay at Los Angeles Unified?
Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Los Angeles Unified reports a master's bonus of $584 on top. For a doctorate it reports $1,168.
Is Los Angeles Unified teacher pay high for California?
Los Angeles Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 312th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 50th 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 Los Angeles 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.
- Los Angeles 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.