The Gooden School

The Gooden School is an independent day school in Sierra Madre, California, serving roughly 150 students in pre-school through middle grades. Located in the San Gabriel Valley foothills northeast of Los Angeles, the school combines traditional academic instruction with progressive teaching methods. An Episcopal foundation shapes its institutional values, though the community welcomes families of all backgrounds and emphasizes character development alongside academics.

What makes teaching here distinctive is the intimate scale. With fewer than 200 students, faculty know every child and family personally. Teachers design lessons around three core principles—respect for self, respect for others, and respect for the world—rather than conforming to rigid standardized frameworks. This flexibility allows you to teach Latin and Spanish in ways that fit your students' needs, not a distant curriculum mandate.

The Gooden School hires regularly for elementary classroom teachers, language specialists, middle school instructors, and support staff in admissions and student services. Educators experienced in values-centered schools or drawn to mixed-methodology teaching often thrive here. Your classroom connects directly to the school's mission through service learning and character work that happens daily, not in isolated units.

Compensation reflects independent school norms for the Los Angeles region, with benefits typically including professional development funding and collaborative planning time. The school's small size means your voice shapes curriculum and school culture in ways larger institutions cannot match. For teachers seeking meaningful work in a mission-driven community at human scale, The Gooden School offers genuine classroom autonomy and visible impact.

*View current teaching and staff openings at The Gooden School.*

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