Empire Union Elementary School District teacher salaries

Empire Union Elementary School District is an elementary school district in Stanislaus County, with its district office in Modesto. Pay starts at $63,683 on the first step. The largest group (23%) is on the MA+72 column, which climbs to $130,066 by step 30.

Lowest

$63,683

BA+12, step 1

Average salary on the teacher schedule1

$101,077

  • $899 below Stanislaus County average
  • $2,475 below California average

Highest

$130,066

MA+72, step 30

Empire Union Elementary average

AveragesStanislaus County $101,976, California $103,552

Full-time equivalents on the schedule
141
Starting salary
$63,683
BA+12, step 1
Median salary
$104,090
Half earn more, half earn less
Average pay rank in California
278th of 828 reporting
of 828 reporting

Does Empire Union Elementary 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

Empire Union Elementary's average of $101,077 is above the middle California district's $94,573.

All 828 reporting districts in California

Empire Union Elementary ranks 278th of 828.

Empire Union Elementary
$50k$100k$150k

Middle district: $94,573

The 23 reporting districts in Stanislaus County

Empire Union Elementary ranks 8th of 23, above the middle district.

Empire Union Elementary
$80k$100k

Middle district: $95,041

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 Empire Union Elementary's BA+12 column pays $75,228. Experienced teachers joining Empire Union Elementary can be placed as high as step 30.
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. Empire Union Elementary's columns run from BA+12 to MA+72, 7 in all.

How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Empire Union Elementary?

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

$106,976

a year at step 10. This column tops out at $130,066 on step 30.

$130,066$63,683
Step 1Step 30
Chosen columnOther columns, same type

Empire Union Elementary's full salary schedule, 2024-252

Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 24% of Empire Union Elementary's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.

StepBA+12BA+24BA+36 OR MA+24BA+48 OR MA+36BA+60 OR MA+48BA+72 OR MA+60MA+72
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15 to 17
18 to 21
22 to 25
26 to 29
30

Only BA+72 OR MA+60, MA+72 continue 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.

Full-time equivalents in a cell
  1. 5+
  5. 8
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 Empire Union Elementary

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 Empire Union Elementary

How much do Empire Union Elementary teachers make?

The average salary on Empire Union Elementary's teacher schedule is $101,077 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $63,683 (BA+12, step 1) to $130,066 (MA+72, step 30).

What does a new teacher earn at Empire Union Elementary?

The schedule starts at $63,683 (BA+12, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 30.

How long does it take to reach the top of the Empire Union Elementary pay scale?

On the MA+72 column, where 23% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 30, where it reaches $130,066. Steps go up with years of service.

Is Empire Union Elementary teacher pay high for California?

Empire Union Elementary's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 278th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 8th of 23 in Stanislaus County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $101,976 in Stanislaus County.

Keep exploring teacher pay in Stanislaus County

Sources for the Empire Union Elementary 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. Empire Union Elementary'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