Sweetwater Union High School District teacher salaries
Sweetwater Union High School District is a high school district in San Diego County, with its district office in Chula Vista. Pay starts at $55,375 on the first step. The largest group (45%) is on the MA+45 OR PHD column, which climbs to $124,275 by step 26.
Lowest
$55,375
BA OR, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$104,814
- $2,168 above San Diego County average
- $1,262 above California average
Highest
$124,275
MA+45 OR PHD, step 26
Sweetwater Union High average
AveragesSan Diego County $102,646, California $103,552
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 1,693
- Starting salary
- $55,375
- BA OR, step 1
- Median salary
- $113,342
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 217th of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Does Sweetwater Union High 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
Sweetwater Union High's average of $104,814 is above the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
Sweetwater Union High ranks 217th of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 37 reporting districts in San Diego County
Sweetwater Union High ranks 13th 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 Sweetwater Union High's BA OR column pays $66,308. Experienced teachers joining Sweetwater Union High can be placed as high as step 26.
- 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. Sweetwater Union High's columns run from BA OR to MA+45 OR PHD, 9 in all.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Sweetwater Union High?
Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$102,407
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $124,275 on step 26.
Sweetwater Union High's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 54% of Sweetwater Union High's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.
| Step | BA OR | BA | BA+EXP | BA+15 | BA+30 | BA+45 OR MA | BA+60 OR MA+15 | BA+75 OR MA+30 | MA+45 OR PHD |
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| 26 |
Only BA+60 OR MA+15, BA+75 OR MA+30, MA+45 OR PHD continue past step 13.
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+
- 180
Bonuses, health cover and work days at Sweetwater Union High
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 $17,130paid by the district each year
- Master's degree bonusNot reported
- Doctorate bonusNot reported
- Bilingual teaching bonusNot reported
- National Board Certification bonusNot reported
- Special education bonusNot reported
- Summer school pay$57 an hour
- Work days a year184 days180 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year2.75%
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 26
Questions about teacher pay at Sweetwater Union High
How much do Sweetwater Union High teachers make?
The average salary on Sweetwater Union High's teacher schedule is $104,814 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $55,375 (BA OR, step 1) to $124,275 (MA+45 OR PHD, step 26).
What does a new teacher earn at Sweetwater Union High?
The schedule starts at $55,375 (BA OR, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 26.
How long does it take to reach the top of the Sweetwater Union High pay scale?
On the MA+45 OR PHD column, where 45% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 26, where it reaches $124,275. Steps go up with years of service.
Is Sweetwater Union High teacher pay high for California?
Sweetwater Union High's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 217th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 13th 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 Sweetwater Union High 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.
- Sweetwater Union High'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.