Carmel Unified School District teacher salaries
Carmel Unified School District is a unified school district in Monterey County, with its district office in Carmel. Pay starts at $78,959 on the first step. The largest group (78%) is on the BA+75 column, which climbs to $162,162 by step 30.
Lowest
$78,959
BA<30, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$140,436
- $42,420 above Monterey County average
- $36,884 above California average
Highest
$162,162
BA+75, step 30
Carmel Unified average
AveragesMonterey County $98,016, California $103,552
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 183
- Starting salary
- $78,959
- BA<30, step 1
- Median salary
- $144,332
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 13th of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Does Carmel 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
Carmel Unified's average of $140,436 is above the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
Carmel Unified ranks 13th of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 20 reporting districts in Monterey County
Carmel Unified ranks 1st of 20, above the middle district.
Middle district: $85,002
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 Carmel Unified's BA<30 column pays $90,846. Experienced teachers joining Carmel Unified can be placed as high as step 14.
- 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. Carmel Unified's columns run from BA<30 to BA+75, 5 in all.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Carmel Unified?
Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$123,532
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $162,162 on step 30.
Carmel Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 67% of Carmel Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.
| Step | BA<30 | BA+30 | BA+45 | BA+60 | BA+75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||||
| 2 | |||||
| 3 | |||||
| 4 | |||||
| 5 | |||||
| 6 | |||||
| 7 | |||||
| 8 | |||||
| 9 | |||||
| 10 | |||||
| 11 | |||||
| 12 | |||||
| 13 | |||||
| 14 | |||||
| 15 | |||||
| 16 to 17 | |||||
| 18 | |||||
| 19 | |||||
| 20 | |||||
| 21 | |||||
| 22 | |||||
| 23 | |||||
| 24 | |||||
| 25 | |||||
| 26 to 27 | |||||
| 28 | |||||
| 29 | |||||
| 30 |
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 Carmel 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 $26,421paid by the district each year
- Master's degree bonus$2,000115 full-time equivalents eligible
- Doctorate bonus$5,6353 full-time equivalents eligible
- Bilingual teaching bonusNot reported
- National Board Certification bonus$1,0002 full-time equivalents eligible
- Special education bonusNot reported
- Summer school pay$50 an hour
- Work days a year186 days180 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year3%
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 14
Questions about teacher pay at Carmel Unified
How much do Carmel Unified teachers make?
The average salary on Carmel Unified's teacher schedule is $140,436 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $78,959 (BA<30, step 1) to $162,162 (BA+75, step 30).
What does a new teacher earn at Carmel Unified?
The schedule starts at $78,959 (BA<30, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 14.
How long does it take to reach the top of the Carmel Unified pay scale?
On the BA+75 column, where 78% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 30, where it reaches $162,162. Steps go up with years of service.
Does a master's degree raise pay at Carmel Unified?
Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Carmel Unified reports a master's bonus of $2,000 on top. For a doctorate it reports $5,635.
Is Carmel Unified teacher pay high for California?
Carmel Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 13th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 1st of 20 in Monterey County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $98,016 in Monterey County.
Keep exploring teacher pay in Monterey County
Sources for the Carmel 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.
- Carmel 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.