Lemon Grove School District teacher salaries

Lemon Grove School District is an elementary school district in San Diego County, with its district office in Lemon Grove. Pay starts at $66,771 on the first step. The largest group (44%) is on the BA+90 OR MA+30 column, which climbs to $127,994 by step 30.

Lowest

$66,771

BA OR BA+15, step 1

Average salary on the teacher schedule1

$99,011

  • $3,635 below San Diego County average
  • $4,541 below California average

Highest

$127,994

BA+90 OR MA+30, step 30

Lemon Grove average

AveragesSan Diego County $102,646, California $103,552

Full-time equivalents on the schedule
174
Starting salary
$66,771
BA OR BA+15, step 1
Median salary
$98,951
Half earn more, half earn less
Average pay rank in California
316th of 828 reporting
of 828 reporting

Does Lemon Grove 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

Lemon Grove's average of $99,011 is above the middle California district's $94,573.

All 828 reporting districts in California

Lemon Grove ranks 316th of 828.

Lemon Grove
$50k$100k$150k

Middle district: $94,573

The 37 reporting districts in San Diego County

Lemon Grove ranks 21st of 37, below the middle district.

Lemon Grove
$80k$100k$120k

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 Lemon Grove's BA OR BA+15 column pays $70,838. Experienced teachers joining Lemon Grove 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. Lemon Grove's columns run from BA OR BA+15 to BA+90 OR MA+30, 5 in all.

How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Lemon Grove?

Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.

$96,069

a year at step 10. This column tops out at $127,994 on step 30.

$127,994$66,771
Step 1Step 30
Chosen columnOther columns, same type

Lemon Grove's full salary schedule, 2024-252

Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 47% of Lemon Grove's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.

StepBA OR BA+15BA+30BA+45 OR MABA+60 OR MA+15 OR BA+75+MABA+90 OR MA+30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

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.

Full-time equivalents in a cell
  1. 5+
  5. 8
Cells with fewer than 5 stay unshaded. Bold figures sit in the three darkest shades.Striped cells: this column has no salary at that step.

Bonuses, health cover and work days at Lemon Grove

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.

Questions about teacher pay at Lemon Grove

How much do Lemon Grove teachers make?

The average salary on Lemon Grove's teacher schedule is $99,011 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $66,771 (BA OR BA+15, step 1) to $127,994 (BA+90 OR MA+30, step 30).

What does a new teacher earn at Lemon Grove?

The schedule starts at $66,771 (BA OR BA+15, 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 Lemon Grove pay scale?

On the BA+90 OR MA+30 column, where 44% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 30, where it reaches $127,994. Steps go up with years of service.

Does a master's degree raise pay at Lemon Grove?

Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Lemon Grove reports a master's bonus of $1,311 on top. For a doctorate it reports $550.

Is Lemon Grove teacher pay high for California?

Lemon Grove's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 316th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 21st 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 Lemon Grove 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.

  1. 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.
  2. Lemon Grove'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.
  3. U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #17D: Exemption for Professional Employees Under the FLSA: teachers are exempt from federal overtime pay.

How we read the data