Santa Maria-Bonita School District teacher salaries
Santa Maria-Bonita School District is an elementary school district in Santa Barbara County, with its district office in Santa Maria. Pay starts at $64,227 on the first step. The largest group (52%) is on the BA+60+MA OR MA+30 column, which climbs to $128,272 by step 24.
Lowest
$64,227
BA, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$104,688
- $1,678 above Santa Barbara County average
- $1,136 above California average
Highest
$128,272
BA+60+MA OR MA+30, step 24
Santa Maria-Bonita average
AveragesSanta Barbara County $103,010, California $103,552
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 924
- Starting salary
- $64,227
- BA, step 1
- Median salary
- $106,751
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 221st of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Does Santa Maria-Bonita 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 Maria-Bonita's average of $104,688 is above the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
Santa Maria-Bonita ranks 221st of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 17 reporting districts in Santa Barbara County
Santa Maria-Bonita ranks 8th 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 Maria-Bonita's BA column pays $70,147. Experienced teachers joining Santa Maria-Bonita can be placed as high as step 24.
- 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 Maria-Bonita's columns run from BA to BA+60+MA OR MA+30, 6 in all.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Santa Maria-Bonita?
Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$106,751
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $128,272 on step 24.
Santa Maria-Bonita's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 42% of Santa Maria-Bonita's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.
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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+
- 96
Bonuses, health cover and work days at Santa Maria-Bonita
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 $14,800paid by the district each year
- Master's degree bonusNot reported
- Doctorate bonus$4,496
- Bilingual teaching bonus$500
- National Board Certification bonusNot reported
- Special education bonus$3,961
- Summer school pay$50 an hour
- Work days a year186 days180 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year1%
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 24
Questions about teacher pay at Santa Maria-Bonita
How much do Santa Maria-Bonita teachers make?
The average salary on Santa Maria-Bonita's teacher schedule is $104,688 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $64,227 (BA, step 1) to $128,272 (BA+60+MA OR MA+30, step 24).
What does a new teacher earn at Santa Maria-Bonita?
The schedule starts at $64,227 (BA, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 24.
How long does it take to reach the top of the Santa Maria-Bonita pay scale?
On the BA+60+MA OR MA+30 column, where 52% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 24, where it reaches $128,272. Steps go up with years of service.
Is Santa Maria-Bonita teacher pay high for California?
Santa Maria-Bonita's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 221st of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 8th 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 Maria-Bonita 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 Maria-Bonita'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.