Desert Sands Unified School District teacher salaries
Desert Sands Unified School District is a unified school district in Riverside County, with its district office in La Quinta. Pay starts at $63,775 on the first step. The largest group (41%) is on the BA+90+MA column, which climbs to $132,451 by step 18.
Lowest
$63,775
BA, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$108,193
- $4,770 below Riverside County average
- $4,641 above California average
Highest
$132,451
BA+90+MA, step 18
Desert Sands Unified average
AveragesCalifornia $103,552, Riverside County $112,963
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 1,241
- Starting salary
- $63,775
- BA, step 1
- Median salary
- $111,383
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 156th of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Does Desert Sands 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
Desert Sands Unified's average of $108,193 is above the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
Desert Sands Unified ranks 156th of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 23 reporting districts in Riverside County
Desert Sands Unified ranks 16th of 23, below the middle district.
Middle district: $112,200
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 Desert Sands Unified's BA column pays $75,486. Experienced teachers joining Desert Sands 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. Desert Sands Unified's columns run from BA to BA+90+MA, 6 in all.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Desert Sands Unified?
Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$112,274
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $132,451 on step 18.
Desert Sands Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 46% of Desert Sands Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.
| Step | BA | BA+30 | BA+45 OR MA | BA+60 | BA+75 | BA+90+MA |
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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+
- 276
Bonuses, health cover and work days at Desert Sands 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 $16,116paid by the district each year
- Master's degree bonusNot reported
- Doctorate bonus$2,00034 full-time equivalents eligible
- Bilingual teaching bonusNot reported
- National Board Certification bonusNot reported
- Special education bonusNot reported
- Summer school pay$66 an hour
- Work days a year184 days180 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year1%
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 11
Questions about teacher pay at Desert Sands Unified
How much do Desert Sands Unified teachers make?
The average salary on Desert Sands Unified's teacher schedule is $108,193 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $63,775 (BA, step 1) to $132,451 (BA+90+MA, step 18).
What does a new teacher earn at Desert Sands Unified?
The schedule starts at $63,775 (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 Desert Sands Unified pay scale?
On the BA+90+MA column, where 41% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 18, where it reaches $132,451. Steps go up with years of service.
Is Desert Sands Unified teacher pay high for California?
Desert Sands Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 156th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 16th of 23 in Riverside County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $112,963 in Riverside County.
Keep exploring teacher pay in Riverside County
Sources for the Desert Sands 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.
- Desert Sands 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.