Willits Unified School District teacher salaries

Willits Unified School District is a unified school district in Mendocino County, with its district office in Willits. Pay starts at $57,887 on the first step. The largest group (22%) is on the BA+90+MA column, which climbs to $114,866 by step 22.

Lowest

$57,887

BA, step 1

Average salary on the teacher schedule1

$80,987

  • about the same as the Mendocino County average
  • $22,565 below California average

Highest

$114,866

BA+90+MA, step 22

Willits Unified average

Mendocino County average$81,150

California average$103,552

Full-time equivalents on the schedule
105
Starting salary
$57,887
BA, step 1
Median salary
$79,404
Half earn more, half earn less
Average pay rank in California
627th of 828 reporting
of 828 reporting

Does Willits 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.

No

Willits Unified's average of $80,987 is below the middle California district's $94,573.

All 828 reporting districts in California

Willits Unified ranks 627th of 828.

Willits Unified
$50k$100k$150k

Middle district: $94,573

The 12 reporting districts in Mendocino County

Willits Unified ranks 3rd of 12, above the middle district.

Willits Unified
$60k$80k

Middle district: $73,216

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 Willits Unified can be placed as high as step 22.
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. Willits Unified's columns run from BA to BA+90+MA, 11 in all.

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

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

$86,094

a year at step 10. This column tops out at $114,866 on step 22.

$114,866$57,887
Step 1Step 22
Chosen columnOther columns, same type

Willits Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252

Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 20% of Willits Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.

StepBABA+30BA+30+MABA+45BA+45+MABA+60BA+60+MABA+75BA+75+MABA+90BA+90+MA
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22

Only BA+90, BA+90+MA continue past step 18.

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. 7
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 Willits 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 Willits Unified

How much do Willits Unified teachers make?

The average salary on Willits Unified's teacher schedule is $80,987 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $57,887 (BA, step 1) to $114,866 (BA+90+MA, step 22).

What does a new teacher earn at Willits Unified?

The schedule starts at $57,887 (BA, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 22.

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

On the BA+90+MA column, where 22% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 22, where it reaches $114,866. Steps go up with years of service.

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

Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Willits Unified reports a master's bonus of $2,111 on top.

Is Willits Unified teacher pay high for California?

Willits Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 627th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 3rd of 12 in Mendocino County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $81,150 in Mendocino County.

Keep exploring teacher pay in Mendocino County

Sources for the Willits 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. Willits 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