In California, more than 286,000 teachers worked in public school classrooms in 2024-25 along with nearly 40,000 non-instructional support staff. Together they make up the "certificated" workforce in California's K-12 public schools.
The background, qualifications, training, and abilities of this vast workforce are central to the quality of schooling students receive. Their compensation represents the bulk of school expenditures, and their interactions with students are the essence of education.
The state of California sets a baseline for teacher qualifications through its credentialing requirements and procedures. Each school district, however, is responsible for hiring teachers, setting salary and benefit levels, and assigning teachers to specific schools.
Recruiting qualified teachers, evaluating and providing ongoing training for existing teachers, and encouraging them to stay in the profession are some of the biggest challenges in public education today.
Teacher demographics
In 2025, California’s teachers were predominantly white (54%), with Hispanic teachers at 26% the next largest group. That is quite a different look from the student population, which is 56% Hispanic and 20% white. (You can view teacher demographic trends by drilling into the Teachers by Race/Ethnicity graph from the Certificated Staff graph on the Staff section.)
Teacher credentials
California offers several types of credentials: multiple subject (usually elementary school); single subject (usually middle or high school); specialist (special education, reading); and adult or vocational education. A special credential — Bilingual Crosscultural, Language, and Academic Development (BCLAD) — is required to teach students in bilingual settings. Teachers can hold more than one credential.
To receive a preliminary teaching credential, which is valid for five years, a prospective teacher must acquire a bachelor’s degree, pass the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST) or other approved basic skills test, earn an authorization to teach English learners, demonstrate subject-matter knowledge through exams or coursework in the subject(s) that the individual plans to teach, and participate in a state-approved teacher preparation program and pass a teaching performance assessment.
Most candidates take a year of graduate courses at an accredited teacher training institution, usually with practice teaching, to receive a preliminary credential. To receive a “clear” credential, a teacher must complete a beginning teacher induction program. Clear credentials must be renewed every five years. National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification can also be used to obtain a clear credential.
Teachers who are credentialed in another state must also pass an approved basic skills test, though the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing can waive certain requirements for individuals with private school or out-of-state teaching experience. In the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, policymakers have waived or loosened certain requirements to make it easier for teachers to complete their credentials. For more details, see this EdSource guide.
About one-quarter of new teachers in the state enter as intern teachers, an alternative pathway that permits new teachers to earn a preliminary teaching credential over a two-year period while teaching in the classroom. Teach for America is one program that places intern teachers in schools. Some districts have established their own internships that include a two-year professional development plan for the teacher.
The Short-Term Staff Permit (for up to one year) and the Provisional Internship Permit (for up to two years) are waivers for districts that are unable to recruit suitable credentialed staff. Pre-internships and CalStateTEACH programs also allow individuals—including professionals changing careers—to hold paid teaching positions while completing credentialing requirements. University- and district-based programs must offer participants an early completion option allowing them to demonstrate pedagogical skills through examination.
The requirements for teachers in schools that receive federal funding under Title I have changed with Congress’s reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 2015, referred to as the Every Student Succeeds Act. Unlike its predecessor, which required that core academic courses be taught by “highly qualified” teachers, the Every Student Succeeds Act states that teachers only have to meet their state’s licensing requirements. However, ESSA also requires that poor and minority students not be disproportionately taught by teachers who are inexperienced, ineffective, or teaching out-of-field. The California Department of Education and California Commission on Teacher Credentialing are now collaborating to track teacher assignment data. In 2023-24, 82% of teachers in the state's TK-12 public schools had a clear credential, while 6% were "ineffective," meaning they did not have a valid credential, 4% were teaching out of their field, and 2% were interns.
Each district’s governing board sets a schedule for teachers salaries through the collective bargaining process negotiated between the district and the teachers’ representatives. The schedule is based on level of education and years of experience.
A teacher gains a salary increase for each step of the schedule based on length of service in the district and for each column based on earning additional educational credits. For example, “BA + 60” is the salary level for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree plus 60 additional credits. The contract specifies what professional development counts as a credit; some districts require a minimum amount of professional classes for their teachers.
California law requires the district to report (on its school accountability report card, or SARC) its beginning, midrange, and highest teacher salaries, the school-site principals’ and district superintendents’ salaries, and the percent spent on administrative and teachers’ salaries with comparisons to statewide averages (provided by the Superintendent of Public Instruction).
The Ed-Data teacher salary report, which is taken from the state's J-90 report, displays the average salaries paid rather than the average on the salary schedule or average offered. Therefore, in each district the “average” salary depends on the range of its salary schedule and teachers’ placement on it. A district with many beginning teachers and few at the top will have a much lower average even if their salaries are competitive with those in neighboring districts. Conversely, a district with an experienced, senior staff will have a higher average. These averages reflect considerable differences across the state, as districts vary in size, the degree of urbanization, and geographic region.
Teacher benefits
The salary figures generally do not include the considerable amounts that are spent for a variety of employee benefits, both required and optional. These typically include professional development, health and life insurance, and retirement. Districts’ pension contributions to CalSTRS are rising substantially, from 8.25 percent of a teacher’s and administrator’s salary in 2014 to 19.1 percent, effective July 1, 2020, under legislation passed in 2014.
Comparisons of benefits among districts or even among employees of the same district can become quite complex. For example, a district could offer a single plan, two-party plan, family plan, or a cafeteria plan in which the employee selects benefits up to a total dollar allowance. Some districts also contribute to benefits for retired teachers. Occasionally, salaries and benefits are combined into one lump sum, which complicates cross-district comparisons. This situation is noted in the Ed-Data Teacher Salary report where known. Further, some contracts call for higher salaries in lieu of benefits. Although there is some variation, expenditures on salaries and benefits for all employees typically make up 80% to 85% of a district’s budget, with the bulk of it going to teachers.
Student-teacher ratios
The pupil-teacher ratio is the total student enrollment divided by the number of full-time-equivalent teachers. The number of pupils per teacher is smaller than the average class size, which is the number of pupils attending divided by the number of classes. Some teachers have special assignments in a school or in the district and so are not confined to one subject or one classroom.
The Local Control Funding Formula requires that class size for kindergarten through third grade be no greater than 24 students per teacher by the time the new formula is phased in, which is estimated to occur in 2020-21. The ratio applies to every school, not just a district’s class-size average. The class-size provision can be waived if the district’s teachers union agrees to grant an exemption.
The combination of average salary, years of teaching experience, percent of fully credentialed teachers, and the pupil-teacher ratio gives a good picture of the teaching staff in a district. In the Staff report on Ed-Data, you can view the pupil-teacher ratio for schools, districts, counties and the state as a whole. You can also find ratios for administrators, such as principals, and pupil-services staff, such as counselors and nurses.
Going Deeper
The California Department of Education provides the following definitions for the staffing data released for 2019-20 and subsequent years.
Administrator: A staff member (employee) who holds a position at a school or district with a non-classroom-based support assignment that requires certification to provide administrative services, but who is not required to provide direct instruction or direct services to pupils. The administrative staff included in these data have a Statewide Educator Identifier (SEID) assigned by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) and their staff assignment and demographic data are reported through the California Longitudinal Achievement Data System (CALPADS). Administrators also include a limited number of non-certificated staff members who have been waived from the requirement of having to possess an administrative services credential but who still have a valid and active SEID.
Administrators have non-classroom-based, support assignments that include, but are not limited to, the following: Superintendent, Deputy or Associate Superintendent, Principal, Vice Principal or Associate/Assistant Principal, Charter School Administrator or Director, Administrator - Program Coordinator, Administrator - Staff Development, Administrator - Other, Child Welfare and Attendance Supervisor, Special Education Case Manager (non-instructional), or Teacher Induction Program Coordinator.
Alternative School Status: An indicator of whether the data displayed in the report is for ALL schools at the selected reporting level (e.g., state, county, or district - not at the school-level), is for ALTERNATIVE schools-only at the selected reporting level or is for NON-ALTERNATIVE (Regular) schools-only at the selected reporting level. Results produced using the Alternative School report filter are based on the Alternative School Accountability Status (ASAS) during associated academic year, which is based on the Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS). The Alternative School report filter is strictly intended to facilitate comparisons between alternative schools and non-alternative or regular schools by allowing for the removal of alternative schools, which generally serve "high-risk" student populations. For more information regarding the current DASS school accountability please click here.
- Please Note: The Alternative School Status filter is not available at the school-level as it is not applicable for the purposes of data aggregation.
Gender: Information about staff gender is based on the gender data available in CALPADS as of Census Day at the selected entity.
Non-Instructional Support: A staff member (employee) who holds a position at a school or district with a non-classroom-based (non-instructional) support assignment that requires certification or other state alternatives and whose duties do not involve providing direct instruction to the pupils in the school(s). The non-instructional support staff included in these data have a Statewide Educator Identifier (SEID) assigned by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) and their staff assignment and demographic data are reported through the California Longitudinal Achievement Data System (CALPADS).
Non-instructional support staff have non-classroom-based or support assignments that include, but are not limited to, the following: Mentor Teacher, Peer Assistance and Review, Other Certificated non-instructional assignment, Non-Instructional Teacher Librarian, Teacher on Special Assignment, Special Education Case Manager (non-instructional), Program Coordinator - School Site Level, and Department chair.
Pupil Services: A staff member (employee) who holds a position at a school or district with a non-classroom-based support assignment that requires a standard designated services credential or a health and development credential and who provides direct services to pupils. The pupil services staff included in these data must have a Statewide Educator Identifier (SEID) assigned by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) and their staff assignment and demographic data are reported through the California Longitudinal Achievement Data System (CALPADS). Pupil services staff also include various program specialists as defined in Education Code Section 56368.
Pupil services staff have non-classroom-based, support assignments that include, but are not limited to, the following: Psychologist, Psychometrist, Counselor, Social Worker, Nurse, Speech-Language Pathologist, Audiologist, Physical Therapist, Vision Therapist, Rehabilitation Counselor, DIS, Medical/Nursing Services, Occupational Therapist, Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Deaf or Hard of Hearing Interpreter, Child Welfare and Attendance Supervisor, Other medical professional, and Other Certificated non-instructional assignments.
Race/Ethnicity Status: Information about staff race/ethnicity is determined based on the most recent data available in CALPADS at the selected local educational agency (LEA) during the academic year.
School Grade Span: A summary of the lowest and highest K-12 grade levels offered by a school as reported to the CDE through the OPUS-CDS system and reported in the California School Directory.
- Grades K-6: Includes data for schools where the lowest and highest grades offered are grades 6 or less, inclusive (e.g., grades K-1, grades K-6, grades 1-5, grade 6).
- Grades 6-9: Includes data for schools where the lowest grades offered are grades 6-8, inclusive, and the highest grades offered are grades 7-9, inclusive (e.g., grades 6-8, grades 7-9).
- Grades 9-12: Includes data for schools where the lowest grades offered are grades 9-11, inclusive, and the highest grades offered are grades 9-12, inclusive (e.g., grade 9, grades 9-10, grades 10-12, grade 12).
- Grades K-12 Other: Includes data for schools where the lowest grades offered are grades K-8, inclusive, and the highest grades offered are grades 7-12, inclusive (e.g., grades K-12, grades K-8, grades 1-12, grades 6-12, grades 8-9, grades 7-12).
- Please Note: Since transitional kindergarten (TK) is the first year of a two-year kindergarten (K) program (see Education Code section 48000(d)), all School Grade Spans inclusive of Grade K (i.e., K-6 and K-12), also include TK when offered.
School Type: An indicator of whether the data displayed in the report is for ALL schools at the selected reporting level (e.g., state, county, or district - not at the school-level), is for CHARTER schools-only at the selected reporting level or is for NON-CHARTER schools-only at the selected reporting level.
- Please Note: The School Type filter is not available at the school-level as it is not applicable for the purposes of data aggregation. Additionally, please note that charter school data are removed by default from all district-level reports, including the associated state and county Report Totals. To include charter school data in district-level reports, select the "Reset Filters" button on district-level reports to show data for "All Schools" OR select the desired School Type filter option from within the expandable Report Filters menu on the desired DataQuest report.
Teacher: A staff member (employee) who holds a position at a school or district with a classroom-based (instructional) teaching assignment that requires certification or other state alternative and whose duties require providing direct instruction to the pupils in the school(s). The teaching staff included in these data have a Statewide Educator Identifier (SEID) assigned by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) and their staff assignment and demographic data are reported through the California Longitudinal Achievement Data System (CALPADS).
Teaching staff have classroom-based instructional assignments that include, but are not limited to, the following: Teacher, Mentor Teacher, Instructional Teacher Librarian, Itinerant Teacher, Pull-Out/Push-In Teacher, and in some cases Long-Term Substitute Teacher.