Novato Unified School District teacher salaries
Novato Unified School District is a unified school district in Marin County, with its district office in Novato. Pay starts at $60,953 on the first step. The largest group (15%) is on the BA+75+MA column, which climbs to $129,642 by step 26.
Lowest
$60,953
BA, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$101,991
- $11,864 below Marin County average
- $1,561 below California average
Highest
$133,072
BA+75+MA+PHD 15 YEARS, step 26
Novato Unified average
AveragesCalifornia $103,552, Marin County $113,855
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 389
- Starting salary
- $60,953
- BA, step 1
- Median salary
- $103,058
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 264th of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Does Novato 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
Novato Unified's average of $101,991 is above the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
Novato Unified ranks 264th of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 14 reporting districts in Marin County
Novato Unified ranks 12th of 14, below the middle district.
Middle district: $110,613
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. Experienced teachers joining Novato Unified can be placed as high as step 16.
- 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. Novato Unified's columns run from BA to BA+75+MA+PHD 15 YEARS, 18 in all.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Novato Unified?
Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$100,102
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $129,642 on step 26.
Novato Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 49% of Novato Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.
| Step | BA | BA+30 | BA+45 OR BA+30+MA | BA+60 OR BA+45+MA | BA+75 OR BA+60+MA | BA+75+MA | BA+75+PHD | BA+75+MA+PHD | BA+60 OR BA+45+MA 10 YEARS | BA+75 OR BA+60+MA 10 YEARS | BA+75+MA 10 YEARS | BA+75+PHD 10 YEARS | BA+75+MA+PHD 10 YEARS | BA+60 OR BA+45+MA 15 YEARS | BA+75 OR BA+60+MA 15 YEARS | BA+75+MA 15 YEARS | BA+75+PHD 15 YEARS | BA+75+MA+PHD 15 YEARS |
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Only BA+75+MA+PHD continues past step 26.
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+
- 19
Bonuses, health cover and work days at Novato 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 $15,353paid by the district each year
- Master's degree bonusNot reported
- Doctorate bonusNot reported
- Bilingual teaching bonus$1,00018 full-time equivalents eligible
- National Board Certification bonusNot reported
- Special education bonusNot reported
- Summer school pay$55 an hour
- Work days a year186 days180 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year0%can also mean not reported
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 16
Questions about teacher pay at Novato Unified
How much do Novato Unified teachers make?
The average salary on Novato Unified's teacher schedule is $101,991 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $60,953 (BA, step 1) to $133,072 (BA+75+MA+PHD 15 YEARS, step 26).
What does a new teacher earn at Novato Unified?
The schedule starts at $60,953 (BA, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 16.
How long does it take to reach the top of the Novato Unified pay scale?
On the BA+75+MA column, where 15% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 26, where it reaches $129,642. Steps go up with years of service.
Is Novato Unified teacher pay high for California?
Novato Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 264th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 12th of 14 in Marin County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $113,855 in Marin County.
Keep exploring teacher pay in Marin County
Sources for the Novato 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.
- Novato 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.