Tustin Unified School District teacher salaries
Tustin Unified School District is a unified school district in Orange County, with its district office in Tustin. Pay starts at $63,595 on the first step. The largest group (61%) is on the BA+80 column, which climbs to $136,551 by step 26.
Lowest
$63,595
BA, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$110,384
- $2,857 below Orange County average
- $6,832 above California average
Highest
$136,551
BA+80, step 26
Tustin Unified average
AveragesCalifornia $103,552, Orange County $113,241
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 965
- Starting salary
- $63,595
- BA, step 1
- Median salary
- $113,332
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 131st of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Does Tustin 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
Tustin Unified's average of $110,384 is above the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
Tustin Unified ranks 131st of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 29 reporting districts in Orange County
Tustin Unified ranks 16th 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 Tustin Unified's BA column pays $68,968. Experienced teachers joining Tustin Unified can be placed as high as step 12.
- 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. Tustin Unified's columns run from BA to BA+80, 6 in all.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Tustin Unified?
Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$106,885
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $136,551 on step 26.
Tustin Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 53% of Tustin Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.
| Step | BA | BA+15 | BA+30 | BA+45 | BA+60 | BA+80 |
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| 26 |
Only BA+80 continues past step 23.
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+
- 134
Bonuses, health cover and work days at Tustin 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 planNot reported
- Master's degree bonus$2,819546 full-time equivalents eligible
- Doctorate bonus$3,84714 full-time equivalents eligible
- Bilingual teaching bonusNot reported
- National Board Certification bonusNot reported
- Special education bonusNot reported
- Summer school pay$41 an hour
- Work days a year185 days180 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year1%
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 12
Questions about teacher pay at Tustin Unified
How much do Tustin Unified teachers make?
The average salary on Tustin Unified's teacher schedule is $110,384 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $63,595 (BA, step 1) to $136,551 (BA+80, step 26).
What does a new teacher earn at Tustin Unified?
The schedule starts at $63,595 (BA, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 12.
How long does it take to reach the top of the Tustin Unified pay scale?
On the BA+80 column, where 61% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 26, where it reaches $136,551. Steps go up with years of service.
Does a master's degree raise pay at Tustin Unified?
Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Tustin Unified reports a master's bonus of $2,819 on top. For a doctorate it reports $3,847.
Is Tustin Unified teacher pay high for California?
Tustin Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 131st of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 16th 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 Tustin 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.
- Tustin 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.