Santa Maria Joint Union High School District teacher salaries

Santa Maria Joint Union High School District is a high school district in Santa Barbara County, with its district office in Santa Maria. Pay starts at $60,030 on the first step. The largest group (78%) is on the BA+60 OR MA+15 column, which climbs to $130,373 by step 22.

Lowest

$60,030

BA, step 1

Average salary on the teacher schedule1

$110,441

  • $7,431 above Santa Barbara County average
  • $6,889 above California average

Highest

$130,373

BA+60 OR MA+15, step 22

Santa Maria Joint Union High average

AveragesSanta Barbara County $103,010, California $103,552

Full-time equivalents on the schedule
486
Starting salary
$60,030
BA, step 1
Median salary
$115,895
Half earn more, half earn less
Average pay rank in California
130th of 828 reporting
of 828 reporting

Does Santa Maria Joint 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

Santa Maria Joint Union High's average of $110,441 is above the middle California district's $94,573.

All 828 reporting districts in California

Santa Maria Joint Union High ranks 130th of 828.

Santa Maria Joint Union High
$50k$100k$150k

Middle district: $94,573

The 17 reporting districts in Santa Barbara County

Santa Maria Joint Union High ranks 5th of 17, above the middle district.

Santa Maria Joint Union High
$80k$100k$120k$140k

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 Joint Union High's BA column pays $74,036. Experienced teachers joining Santa Maria Joint Union High can be placed as high as step 11.
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 Joint Union High's columns run from BA to BA+60 OR MA+15, 5 in all.

How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Santa Maria Joint Union High?

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

$108,890

a year at step 10. This column tops out at $130,373 on step 22.

$130,373$60,030
Step 1Step 40
Chosen columnOther columns, same type

Santa Maria Joint Union High's full salary schedule, 2024-252

Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 43% of Santa Maria Joint Union High's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.

StepBABA+15BA+30BA+45BA+60 OR MA+15
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 to 33
34 to 40

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. 27
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 Santa Maria Joint 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.

Questions about teacher pay at Santa Maria Joint Union High

How much do Santa Maria Joint Union High teachers make?

The average salary on Santa Maria Joint Union High's teacher schedule is $110,441 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $60,030 (BA, step 1) to $130,373 (BA+60 OR MA+15, step 22).

What does a new teacher earn at Santa Maria Joint Union High?

The schedule starts at $60,030 (BA, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 11.

How long does it take to reach the top of the Santa Maria Joint Union High pay scale?

On the BA+60 OR MA+15 column, where 78% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 22, where it reaches $130,373. Steps go up with years of service.

Is Santa Maria Joint Union High teacher pay high for California?

Santa Maria Joint Union High's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 130th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 5th 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 Joint 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.

  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. Santa Maria Joint 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.
  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