Teacher morale dipped slightly across the country this year, after some improvement last year, according to the survey of 5,802 U.S. teachers. AdvertisementCalifornia teachers scored 16 on the Teacher Morale Index, which is based on three questions from the Education Week survey. Nearly half of California teachers who were surveyed plan to retire or quit in the next 10 years. A survey released in January by the California Teachers Assn. In 2025, the average starting salary for a California teacher was $58,409, and the average salary was $101,084, according to the NEA.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 10, 2026 19:03 UTC