La Mesa-Spring Valley School District teacher salaries
La Mesa-Spring Valley School District is an elementary school district in San Diego County, with its district office in La Mesa. Pay starts at $67,324 on the first step. The largest group (61%) is on the BA+75+MA OR MA+30 column, which climbs to $125,159 by step 25.
Lowest
$67,324
BA, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$100,279
- $2,367 below San Diego County average
- $3,273 below California average
Highest
$125,159
BA+75+MA OR MA+30, step 25
La Mesa-Spring Valley average
AveragesSan Diego County $102,646, California $103,552
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 636
- Starting salary
- $67,324
- BA, step 1
- Median salary
- $106,590
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 290th of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Does La Mesa-Spring Valley 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
La Mesa-Spring Valley's average of $100,279 is above the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
La Mesa-Spring Valley ranks 290th of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 37 reporting districts in San Diego County
La Mesa-Spring Valley ranks 19th of 37, above the middle district.
Middle district: $100,279
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 La Mesa-Spring Valley's BA column pays $67,324. Experienced teachers joining La Mesa-Spring Valley can be placed as high as step 35.
- 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. La Mesa-Spring Valley's columns run from BA to BA+75+MA OR MA+30, 6 in all.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at La Mesa-Spring Valley?
Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$95,354
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $125,159 on step 25.
La Mesa-Spring Valley's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 51% of La Mesa-Spring Valley's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.
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Only BA+60 OR MA+15, BA+75+MA OR MA+30 continue past step 32.
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+
- 29
Bonuses, health cover and work days at La Mesa-Spring Valley
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 $16,250paid by the district each year
- Master's degree bonusNot reported
- Doctorate bonus$2,6937 full-time equivalents eligible
- Bilingual teaching bonusNot reported
- National Board Certification bonusNot reported
- Special education bonus$5,000106 full-time equivalents eligible
- Summer school payNot reported
- Work days a year186 days180 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year0%can also mean not reported
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 35
Questions about teacher pay at La Mesa-Spring Valley
How much do La Mesa-Spring Valley teachers make?
The average salary on La Mesa-Spring Valley's teacher schedule is $100,279 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $67,324 (BA, step 1) to $125,159 (BA+75+MA OR MA+30, step 25).
What does a new teacher earn at La Mesa-Spring Valley?
The schedule starts at $67,324 (BA, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 35.
How long does it take to reach the top of the La Mesa-Spring Valley pay scale?
On the BA+75+MA OR MA+30 column, where 61% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 25, where it reaches $125,159. Steps go up with years of service.
Is La Mesa-Spring Valley teacher pay high for California?
La Mesa-Spring Valley's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 290th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 19th of 37 in San Diego County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $102,646 in San Diego County.
Keep exploring teacher pay in San Diego County
Sources for the La Mesa-Spring Valley 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.
- La Mesa-Spring Valley'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.