San Jose Unified School District teacher salaries
San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD) is a unified school district in Santa Clara County, with its district office in San Jose. Pay starts at $70,000 on the first step. The largest group (100%) is on the STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE column, which climbs to $134,400 by step 35.
Lowest
$70,000
STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$103,746
- $18,510 below Santa Clara County average
- about the same as the California average
Highest
$134,400
STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE, step 35
San Jose Unified average
California average$103,552
Santa Clara County average$122,256
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 1,510
- Starting salary
- $70,000
- STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE, step 1
- Median salary
- $109,100
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 237th of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Does San Jose 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
San Jose Unified's average of $103,746 is above the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
San Jose Unified ranks 237th of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 29 reporting districts in Santa Clara County
San Jose Unified ranks 27th of 29, below the middle district.
Middle district: $117,248
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 San Jose Unified's STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE column pays $83,800. Experienced teachers joining San Jose Unified can be placed as high as step 35.
- 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. More units, higher column.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at San Jose Unified?
Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$101,050
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $134,400 on step 35.
San Jose Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 46% of San Jose Unified'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+
- 83
Bonuses, health cover and work days at San Jose 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 $49,090paid by the district each year
- Master's degree bonus$3,000833 full-time equivalents eligible
- Doctorate bonus$3,00024 full-time equivalents eligible
- Bilingual teaching bonus$3,000236 full-time equivalents eligible
- National Board Certification bonus$3,00013 full-time equivalents eligible
- Special education bonus$3,000209 full-time equivalents eligible
- Summer school payNot reported
- Work days a year183 days180 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year0%can also mean not reported
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 35
Questions about teacher pay at San Jose Unified
How much do San Jose Unified teachers make?
The average salary on San Jose Unified's teacher schedule is $103,746 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $70,000 (STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE, step 1) to $134,400 (STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE, step 35).
What does a new teacher earn at San Jose Unified?
The schedule starts at $70,000 (STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 35.
How long does it take to reach the top of the San Jose Unified pay scale?
On the STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE column, where 100% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 35, where it reaches $134,400. Steps go up with years of service.
Does a master's degree raise pay at San Jose Unified?
Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and San Jose Unified reports a master's bonus of $3,000 on top. For a doctorate it reports $3,000.
Is San Jose Unified teacher pay high for California?
San Jose Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 237th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 27th of 29 in Santa Clara County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $122,256 in Santa Clara County.
Keep exploring teacher pay in Santa Clara County
Sources for the San Jose 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.
- San Jose 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.