Orange Unified School District teacher salaries
Orange Unified School District is a unified school district in Orange County, with its district office in Orange. Pay starts at $65,014 on the first step. The largest group (57%) is on the BA+75+MA OR MA+45 column, which climbs to $136,010 by step 28.
Lowest
$65,014
BA+30, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$105,795
- $7,446 below Orange County average
- $2,243 above California average
Highest
$136,010
BA+75+MA OR MA+45, step 28
Orange Unified average
AveragesCalifornia $103,552, Orange County $113,241
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 1,062
- Starting salary
- $65,014
- BA+30, step 1
- Median salary
- $113,134
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 197th of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Does Orange 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
Orange Unified's average of $105,795 is above the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
Orange Unified ranks 197th of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 29 reporting districts in Orange County
Orange Unified ranks 26th of 29, below the middle district.
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 Orange Unified's BA+30 column pays $74,605. Experienced teachers joining Orange 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. Orange Unified's columns run from BA+30 to BA+75+MA OR MA+45, 4 in all.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Orange Unified?
Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$103,397
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $136,010 on step 28.
Orange Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 51% of Orange Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.
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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+
- 73
Bonuses, health cover and work days at Orange 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 $20,296paid by the district each year
- Master's degree bonusNot reported
- Doctorate bonus$3,50013 full-time equivalents eligible
- Bilingual teaching bonusNot reported
- National Board Certification bonus$1,0005 full-time equivalents eligible
- Special education bonusNot reported
- Summer school pay$52 an hour
- Work days a year185 days180 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year0%can also mean not reported
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 11
Questions about teacher pay at Orange Unified
How much do Orange Unified teachers make?
The average salary on Orange Unified's teacher schedule is $105,795 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $65,014 (BA+30, step 1) to $136,010 (BA+75+MA OR MA+45, step 28).
What does a new teacher earn at Orange Unified?
The schedule starts at $65,014 (BA+30, 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 Orange Unified pay scale?
On the BA+75+MA OR MA+45 column, where 57% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 28, where it reaches $136,010. Steps go up with years of service.
Is Orange Unified teacher pay high for California?
Orange Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 197th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 26th 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 Orange 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.
- Orange 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.