Santa Cruz County Office of Education teacher salaries
Santa Cruz County Office of Education is a county office of education in Santa Cruz County, with its district office in Santa Cruz. Pay starts at $52,480 on the first step. The largest group (74%) is on the BA+80 column, which climbs to $109,594 by step 25.
Lowest
$52,480
BA, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$93,577
- $6,287 above Santa Cruz County average
- $9,975 below California average
Highest
$109,594
BA+80, step 25
Santa Cruz County Office of Education average
Santa Cruz County average$87,290
California average$103,552
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 81
- Starting salary
- $52,480
- BA, step 1
- Median salary
- $101,945
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 430th of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Does Santa Cruz County Office of Education 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.
No
Santa Cruz County Office of Education's average of $93,577 is below the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
Santa Cruz County Office of Education ranks 430th of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 11 reporting districts in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County Office of Education ranks 2nd of 11, above the middle district.
Middle district: $85,745
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 Cruz County Office of Education's BA column pays $55,107. Experienced teachers joining Santa Cruz County Office of Education can be placed as high as step 25.
- 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 Cruz County Office of Education's columns run from BA to BA+80, 5 in all.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Santa Cruz County Office of Education?
Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$84,853
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $109,594 on step 25.
Santa Cruz County Office of Education's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 53% of Santa Cruz County Office of Education's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.
| Step | BA | BA+30 | BA+40 | BA+60 | BA+80 |
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| 25 |
Only BA+80 continues past step 14.
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+
- 19
Bonuses, health cover and work days at Santa Cruz County Office of Education
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 planNot reported
- Master's degree bonus$1,50059 full-time equivalents eligible
- Doctorate bonus$1,5002 full-time equivalents eligible
- Bilingual teaching bonus$1,5005 full-time equivalents eligible
- National Board Certification bonusNot reported
- Special education bonusNot reported
- Summer school payNot reported
- Work days a year185 days182 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year2%
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 25
Questions about teacher pay at Santa Cruz County Office of Education
How much do Santa Cruz County Office of Education teachers make?
The average salary on Santa Cruz County Office of Education's teacher schedule is $93,577 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $52,480 (BA, step 1) to $109,594 (BA+80, step 25).
What does a new teacher earn at Santa Cruz County Office of Education?
The schedule starts at $52,480 (BA, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 25.
How long does it take to reach the top of the Santa Cruz County Office of Education pay scale?
On the BA+80 column, where 74% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 25, where it reaches $109,594. Steps go up with years of service.
Does a master's degree raise pay at Santa Cruz County Office of Education?
Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Santa Cruz County Office of Education reports a master's bonus of $1,500 on top. For a doctorate it reports $1,500.
Is Santa Cruz County Office of Education teacher pay high for California?
Santa Cruz County Office of Education's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 430th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 2nd of 11 in Santa Cruz County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $87,290 in Santa Cruz County.
Keep exploring teacher pay in Santa Cruz County
Sources for the Santa Cruz County Office of Education 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 Cruz County Office of Education'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.