Portola Valley Elementary School District teacher salaries

Portola Valley Elementary School District is an elementary school district in San Mateo County, with its district office in Portola Valley. Pay starts at $85,145 on the first step. The largest group (71%) is on the BA+90 column, which climbs to $160,041 by step 23.

Lowest

$85,145

BA, step 1

Average salary on the teacher schedule1

$140,555

  • $24,829 above San Mateo County average
  • $37,003 above California average

Highest

$160,041

BA+90, step 23

Portola Valley Elementary average

AveragesCalifornia $103,552, San Mateo County $115,726

Full-time equivalents on the schedule
43
Starting salary
$85,145
BA, step 1
Median salary
$153,794
Half earn more, half earn less
Average pay rank in California
11th of 828 reporting
of 828 reporting

Does Portola Valley Elementary 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

Portola Valley Elementary's average of $140,555 is above the middle California district's $94,573.

All 828 reporting districts in California

Portola Valley Elementary ranks 11th of 828.

Portola Valley Elementary
$50k$100k$150k

Middle district: $94,573

The 19 reporting districts in San Mateo County

Portola Valley Elementary ranks 2nd of 19, above the middle district.

Portola Valley Elementary
$100k$120k$140k

Middle district: $104,943

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 Portola Valley Elementary's BA column pays $96,553. Experienced teachers joining Portola Valley Elementary can be placed as high as step 12.
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. Portola Valley Elementary's columns run from BA to BA+90, 5 in all.

How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Portola Valley Elementary?

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

$138,556

a year at step 10. This column tops out at $160,041 on step 23.

$160,041$85,145
Step 1Step 23
Chosen columnOther columns, same type

Portola Valley Elementary's full salary schedule, 2024-252

Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 54% of Portola Valley Elementary's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.

StepBABA+45BA+60BA+75BA+90
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23

Only BA+90 continues past step 20.

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. 14
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 Portola Valley Elementary

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 Portola Valley Elementary

How much do Portola Valley Elementary teachers make?

The average salary on Portola Valley Elementary's teacher schedule is $140,555 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $85,145 (BA, step 1) to $160,041 (BA+90, step 23).

What does a new teacher earn at Portola Valley Elementary?

The schedule starts at $85,145 (BA, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 12.

How long does it take to reach the top of the Portola Valley Elementary pay scale?

On the BA+90 column, where 71% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 23, where it reaches $160,041. Steps go up with years of service.

Does a master's degree raise pay at Portola Valley Elementary?

Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Portola Valley Elementary reports a master's bonus of $2,500 on top. For a doctorate it reports $2,500.

Is Portola Valley Elementary teacher pay high for California?

Portola Valley Elementary's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 11th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 2nd of 19 in San Mateo County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $115,726 in San Mateo County.

Keep exploring teacher pay in San Mateo County

Sources for the Portola Valley Elementary 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. Portola Valley Elementary'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