Santa Barbara Unified School District teacher salaries
Santa Barbara Unified School District is a unified school district in Santa Barbara County, with its district office in Santa Barbara. Pay starts at $64,099 on the first step. The largest group (79%) is on the BA+60 column, which climbs to $121,627 by step 23.
Lowest
$64,099
BA<45, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$99,958
- $3,052 below Santa Barbara County average
- $3,594 below California average
Highest
$121,627
BA+60, step 23
Santa Barbara Unified average
AveragesSanta Barbara County $103,010, California $103,552
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 663
- Starting salary
- $64,099
- BA<45, step 1
- Median salary
- $105,977
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 298th of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Does Santa Barbara 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
Santa Barbara Unified's average of $99,958 is above the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
Santa Barbara Unified ranks 298th of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 17 reporting districts in Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara Unified ranks 9th of 17, above the middle district.
Middle district: $99,958
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 Santa Barbara Unified's BA<45 column pays $74,616. Experienced teachers joining Santa Barbara 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. Santa Barbara Unified's columns run from BA<45 to BA+60, 3 in all.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Santa Barbara Unified?
Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$101,410
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $121,627 on step 23.
Santa Barbara Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 42% of Santa Barbara Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.
| Step | BA<45 | BA+45 | BA+60 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 7 | |||
| 8 | |||
| 9 | |||
| 10 | |||
| 11 | |||
| 12 | |||
| 13 | |||
| 14 | |||
| 15 | |||
| 16 | |||
| 17 | |||
| 18 | |||
| 19 to 22 | |||
| 23 |
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+
- 128
Bonuses, health cover and work days at Santa Barbara 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 $26,680paid by the district each year
- Master's degree bonus$989395 full-time equivalents eligible
- Doctorate bonus$1,87312 full-time equivalents eligible
- Bilingual teaching bonusNot reported
- National Board Certification bonusNot reported
- Special education bonusNot reported
- Summer school pay$59 an hour
- Work days a year186 days180 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year10%
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 13
Questions about teacher pay at Santa Barbara Unified
How much do Santa Barbara Unified teachers make?
The average salary on Santa Barbara Unified's teacher schedule is $99,958 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $64,099 (BA<45, step 1) to $121,627 (BA+60, step 23).
What does a new teacher earn at Santa Barbara Unified?
The schedule starts at $64,099 (BA<45, 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 Santa Barbara Unified pay scale?
On the BA+60 column, where 79% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 23, where it reaches $121,627. Steps go up with years of service.
Does a master's degree raise pay at Santa Barbara Unified?
Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Santa Barbara Unified reports a master's bonus of $989 on top. For a doctorate it reports $1,873.
Is Santa Barbara Unified teacher pay high for California?
Santa Barbara Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 298th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 9th of 17 in Santa Barbara County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $103,010 in Santa Barbara County.
Keep exploring teacher pay in Santa Barbara County
Sources for the Santa Barbara 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.
- Santa Barbara 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.