Palm Springs Unified School District teacher salaries
Palm Springs Unified School District is a unified school district in Riverside County, with its district office in Palm Springs. Pay starts at $66,051 on the first step. The largest group (52%) is on the BA+82+MA OR MA+45 column, which climbs to $133,990 by step 16.
Lowest
$66,051
BA, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$108,587
- $4,376 below Riverside County average
- $5,035 above California average
Highest
$133,990
BA+82+MA OR MA+45, step 16
Palm Springs Unified average
AveragesCalifornia $103,552, Riverside County $112,963
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 1,138
- Starting salary
- $66,051
- BA, step 1
- Median salary
- $113,420
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 151st of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Does Palm Springs 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
Palm Springs Unified's average of $108,587 is above the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
Palm Springs Unified ranks 151st of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 23 reporting districts in Riverside County
Palm Springs Unified ranks 14th 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 Palm Springs Unified's BA column pays $74,341. Experienced teachers joining Palm Springs Unified can be placed as high as step 13.
- 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. Palm Springs Unified's columns run from BA to BA+82+MA OR MA+45, 6 in all.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Palm Springs Unified?
Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$109,106
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $133,990 on step 16.
Palm Springs Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 44% of Palm Springs Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.
| Step | BA | BA+26 | BA+40 | BA+54 OR MA | BA+68+MA OR MA+30 | BA+82+MA OR MA+45 |
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Only BA+54 OR MA, BA+68+MA OR MA+30, BA+82+MA OR MA+45 continue past step 14.
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+
- 346
Bonuses, health cover and work days at Palm Springs 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 $18,425paid by the district each year
- Master's degree bonusNot reported
- Doctorate bonus$1,50011 full-time equivalents eligible
- Bilingual teaching bonusNot reported
- National Board Certification bonusNot reported
- Special education bonusNot reported
- Summer school payNot reported
- Work days a year184 days181 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year0%can also mean not reported
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 13
Questions about teacher pay at Palm Springs Unified
How much do Palm Springs Unified teachers make?
The average salary on Palm Springs Unified's teacher schedule is $108,587 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $66,051 (BA, step 1) to $133,990 (BA+82+MA OR MA+45, step 16).
What does a new teacher earn at Palm Springs Unified?
The schedule starts at $66,051 (BA, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 13.
How long does it take to reach the top of the Palm Springs Unified pay scale?
On the BA+82+MA OR MA+45 column, where 52% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 16, where it reaches $133,990. Steps go up with years of service.
Is Palm Springs Unified teacher pay high for California?
Palm Springs Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 151st of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 14th 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 Palm Springs 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.
- Palm Springs 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.