Capistrano Unified School District teacher salaries

Capistrano Unified School District is a unified school district in Orange County, with its district office in San Juan Capistrano. Pay starts at $65,219 on the first step. The largest group (69%) is on the BA+75+MA column, which climbs to $130,638 by step 23.

Lowest

$65,219

BA, step 1

Average salary on the teacher schedule1

$107,787

  • $5,454 below Orange County average
  • $4,235 above California average

Highest

$130,638

BA+75+MA, step 23

Capistrano Unified average

AveragesCalifornia $103,552, Orange County $113,241

Full-time equivalents on the schedule
2,080
Starting salary
$65,219
BA, step 1
Median salary
$112,890
Half earn more, half earn less
Average pay rank in California
161st of 828 reporting
of 828 reporting

Does Capistrano 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

Capistrano Unified's average of $107,787 is above the middle California district's $94,573.

All 828 reporting districts in California

Capistrano Unified ranks 161st of 828.

Capistrano Unified
$50k$100k$150k

Middle district: $94,573

The 29 reporting districts in Orange County

Capistrano Unified ranks 21st of 29, below the middle district.

Capistrano Unified
$100k$120k$140k

Middle district: $111,191

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 Capistrano Unified's BA column pays $74,841. Experienced teachers joining Capistrano Unified can be placed as high as step 11.
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. Capistrano Unified's columns run from BA to BA+75+MA, 4 in all.

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

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

$105,986

a year at step 10. This column tops out at $130,638 on step 23.

$130,638$65,219
Step 1Step 23
Chosen columnOther columns, same type

Capistrano Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252

Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 52% of Capistrano Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.

StepBABA+45BA+60BA+75+MA
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23

Only BA+45, BA+60, BA+75+MA continue past step 11.

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. 561
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 Capistrano 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 Capistrano Unified

How much do Capistrano Unified teachers make?

The average salary on Capistrano Unified's teacher schedule is $107,787 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $65,219 (BA, step 1) to $130,638 (BA+75+MA, step 23).

What does a new teacher earn at Capistrano Unified?

The schedule starts at $65,219 (BA, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 11.

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

On the BA+75+MA column, where 69% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 23, where it reaches $130,638. Steps go up with years of service.

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

Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Capistrano Unified reports a master's bonus of $2,446 on top. For a doctorate it reports $2,446.

Is Capistrano Unified teacher pay high for California?

Capistrano Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 161st of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 21st of 29 in Orange County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $113,241 in Orange County.

Keep exploring teacher pay in Orange County

Sources for the Capistrano 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. Capistrano 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