Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, December 11, 2021

EDUCATION AND YOUTH 
Mountain Views-News Saturday, November 13, 2021 
9 EDUCATION AND YOUTH 
Mountain Views-News Saturday, November 13, 2021 
9 
ARCADIA UNIFIED HOLDS ITS SPOT IN THE TOP 1% OF BEST 
SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN AMERICA 

ARCADIA-- Out of more than 10,700 school districts in the United States, Arcadia Unified continues 
to be a leader in the nation for public education, recently and once again earning a spot in the top 1% 
of Niche’s 2022 Best School Districts in America. 

Sharing its rankings for the 2022 Best School Districts just ahead of the new year, Niche, an influential 
school and neighborhood review website, has put Arcadia Unified on the “nice list,” giving Arcadia 
Unified an overall “A+” grade and an “A” report card for each school in the district. 

Arcadia Unified School District’s National Niche Distinctions: 

Arcadia Unified ranks in the Top 1% Best School Districts in America

Arcadia Unified ranks in the Top 1% Districts with the Best Teachers in America

Arcadia Unified ranks in the Top 1% Best Places to Teach in America 

Camino Grove Kindergarten Courtesy AUSD 


“Though the world turned upside down nearly two years ago, the unwavering level of instruction, 
dedication, and care Arcadia Unified’s world-class staff has shown to our students and families well 
before and throughout the most difficult times we all have faced during this pandemic is the number 
one reason why we earn prominent recognition like this,” said Arcadia Unified Superintendent Dr. David 
Vannasdall, when asked what it means to be named one of the best school districts in the country. 

In addition to a national breakdown, Niche segments its rankings into state and local levels. Arcadia 
Unified is at the top in each. Other notable Niche nods find Arcadia Unified in the top 10 Best Places 
to Teach in California and the top 2 Best Places to Teach in the Los Angeles area. Correspondingly, of 
the more than 140 school districts in Los Angeles, Arcadia Unified made the top 10 list for Districts 
with the Best Teachers. 

How does Niche arrive at its rankings? According to its website, Niche undergoes a rigorous analysis 
of key statistics and data from thousands of schools, which includes information from the U.S. Department 
of Education and millions of reviews from students and parents. 

“We like the school because of the excellent teachers and opportunities for students to grow,” wrote 
a parent in a review for Arcadia Unified. “Teachers like my son’s history teacher, Ms. Nakatsuka, are 
there and always helping the students. Overall, I think the staff and teachers are excellent.” 

Ms. [Karalee] Nakatuska, mentioned in the review above, was recently named as one of Time’s “Educators 
Who Saved a Pandemic School Year” and has also been celebrated as a California History Teacher 
of the Year in 2019. Nakatsuka is just one of several award-winning Arcadia Unified teachers, some of 
whom include GRAMMY Museum 2019 Jane Ortner Education Award recipient, Heather Moore and 
EdTech Magazine’s Top 30 K-12 IT Influencers for 2021, Christine Pinto. 

In addition to making the Niche grade, Arcadia Unified has kept its commitment to developing the 
“whole child” by supporting more than academics. It’s placed a focus on social and emotional development, 
as well as helping students establish lifelong leadership skills from an early age. Since the 
2018-19 school year, and though not a mandated requirement for local public school districts, Arcadia 
Unified has had at least one full-time school counselor at each of its schools in its dedication to student 
mental health and wellness. Likewise, the district also offers character education programs, such 
as “The Leader in Me” for students in TK-8 grade, and has adopted “restorative practices,” which are 
techniques geared towards building strong, trusting relationships and community in classrooms and 
schools. In the 2020-21 school year, Arcadia High established a Wellness Center, which has a full-time 
counselor, a physical space for students to go to, and is solely dedicated to fostering mental health and 
wellness needs. 

To learn more about the Arcadia Unified School District, visit ausd.net, and for additional details 
about Niche and its ranking system, read more at niche.com. 

SCHOOL DIRECTORY 

Alverno Heights Academy Email: schools@monrovia.k12.ca.us 
200 N. Michillinda Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 

Odyssey Charter School 

(626) 355-3463 Head of School: Julia V. Fanara 
725 W. Altadena Dr. Altadena, Ca. 91001 

E-mail address: jfanara@alvernoheights.org 

(626) 229-0993 Head of School: Lauren O’Neill 
Arcadia High School website: www.odysseycharterschool.org 
180 Campus Drive Arcadia, CA 91007 

Pasadena High School 

Phone: (626) 821-8370, Principal: Brent Forsee 

2925 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. 

bforsee@ausd.net 

(626) 396-5880 Principal: Roberto Hernandez 
Arroyo Pacific Academy 

website: http://phs.pusd.us 

41 W. Santa Clara St. Arcadia, Ca,

(626) 294-0661 Principal: Phil Clarke St. Rita Catholic School 
E-mail address: pclarke@arroyopacific.org 322 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024Principal: Adela Solis (626) 355-6114 

Barnhart School 

solis@st-ritaschool.org 

240 W. Colorado Blvd Arcadia, Ca. 91007 

Website: www.st-ritaschool.org 

(626) 446-5588Head of School: Ethan Williamson Sierra Madre Elementary School 
Kindergarten - 8th grade 141 W. Highland Ave, Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 
website: www.barnhartschool.org (626) 355-1428 Principal: Lindsay LUIS

E-mail address: LUIS.lindsay@pusd.us 
Bethany Christian School 

Sierra Madre Middle School 

93 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 

160 N. Canon Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 

(626) 355-3527 

(626) 836-2947 Principal: Garrett Newsom 
Preschool-TK-8th Grade 

E-mail address: newsom.garrett@pusd.us 

Principal: Dr. William Walnerwebsite: www. bcslions.org Walden School 
Clairbourn School 

74 S San Gabriel Blvd 
8400 Huntington Drive 

Pasadena, CA 91107 (626) 792-6166 
San Gabriel, CA 91775 www.waldenschool.net 
Phone: 626-286-3108 ext. 172 

Weizmann Day School 

FAX: 626-286-1528 

1434 N. Altadena Dr. Pasadena, Ca. 91107 

E-mail: jhawes@clairbourn.org 

(626) 797-0204Foothill Oaks Academy Lisa Feldman: Head of School 
822 E. Bradbourne Ave., Duarte, CA 91010 

Wilson Middle School 

(626) 301-9809 

300 S. Madre St. Pasadena, Ca. 91107 

Principal: Nancy Lopez 

(626) 449-7390 Principal: Ruth Esseln 
www.foothilloaksacademy.org 

E-mail address: resseln@pusd.us 

office@foothilloaksacademy.org 
Pasadena Unified School District 

Frostig School 

351 S. Hudson Ave., Pasadena, Ca. 91109 

971 N. Altadena Drive Pasadena, CA 91107 

(626) 396-3600 Website: www.pusd@pusd.us 
(626) 791-1255Head of School: Jenny Janetzke Arcadia Unified School District 
Email: jenny@frostig.org 234 Campus Dr., Arcadia, Ca. 91007 

(626) 821-8300 Website: www.ausd.net 
The Gooden School 
192 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Monrovia Unified School District 

(626) 355-2410 325 E. Huntington Dr., Monrovia, Ca. 91016 
Head of School, Jo-Anne Woolner (626) 471-2000website: www.goodenschool.org Website: www.monroviaschools.net 

High Point Academy Duarte Unified School District 
1720 Kinneloa Canyon Road 1620 Huntington Dr., Duarte, Ca. 91010 
Pasadena, Ca. 91107 (626)599-5000Head of School: Gary Stern 626-798-8989 Website: www.duarte.k12.ca.us 
website: www.highpointacademy.org 

Arcadia Christian School 
La Salle College Preparatory 1900 S. Santa Anita Avenue Arcadia, CA 91006 
3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. Preschool - and TK - 8th Grade 
(626) 351-8951 website: www.lasallehs.org 626-574-8229/626-574-0805Principal Dr. Jamal Adams Email: inquiry@acslions.com

Principal: Cindy Harmon 

Monrovia High School 

website: www.acslions.com 

325 East Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016

(626) 471-2800 Principal Darvin Jackson 
PUSD WILL BE OFFERING THE FOLLOWING CLINICS 
FOR STUDENTS AGES 5 TO 11 

• Tuesday, Dec. 14th 2:30 - 4:00 PM, at Willard Auditorium 
• Wednesday, Dec. 15th 2:30 - 4:00 PM, at Madison Elementary 
In addition, PUSD is partnering with local pharmacies to offer additional clinics for children 
ages 5 - 17. 

• Friday, Dec. 17th 3:00 - 7:00 PM, at Vons Pharmacy, 2355 E. Colorado Blvd. 
• Saturday, Dec. 18th 10:00 AM- 4:00 PM, at Vons Pharmacy, 2355 E. Colorado Blvd.
To make an appointment for a vaccine or booster, visit myturn.ca.gov. Our goal is to have all eligible 
students and staff fully vaccinated before returning from Winter break. 
If families cannot get to a District clinic, there are several other local options for vaccinations and 
testing.

https://www.albertsons.com/pharmacy/covid-19.htmlhttps://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccinehttps://www.riteaid.com/covid-19https://www.vons.com/pharmacy/covid-19.html 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com