The Gooden School

We have been at Gooden for five years now with our fourth grade boy and his brother now in first grade. We couldn’t be happier about the education they are receiving as part of this tight-​knit community in Sierra Madre. The teachers and staff at Gooden are very dedicated in providing an education that prepares all students for the best high schools in Pasadena and the Los Angeles area. The small class sizes are a big plus since they allow for individualized guidance that is rare to find even at other private schools. Music, art, PE, technology, Spanish, and Latin (5 – 8) supplement the classroom experience and are exceptional and well-​executed. Volunteering is low pressure but you’ll want to contribute knowing that your kids love going to school every day and are surrounded by a community that values their growth as they mature in to young adults.

With the recent shady firing of the head of school, it’s obvious the Gooden School has an authority (and quality) problem. Take my advice — get out while you can.

Our two kids have been at Gooden for many years.
I’d say that it’s a great private school and competitively priced.
We are part of a larger community which is comprised of the faculty, staff, and fellow parents. Communication is good and we don’t feel left out.
Sometimes it’s hard to differentiate between curriculum that is offered at our nearby public school and the homework we see. When you begin at private school you can believe that there is this magical custom-​built offering, but in fact Gooden teaches from a lot of the same California text books that a local public would. The difference lies in small class sizes, better teachers, and a more well-​rounded opportunity to learn. Our kids look forward to their days at Gooden and that’s really the bottom line.
The music and arts curriculum is important at Gooden and well run. There isn’t an extraordinary amount of parental involvement required, but you’ll want to participate because the people and environment are fun.
I’d say Gooden is a top best bet for most any parent considering private school.

We relocated to Pasadena from the East coast about a year ago, and we are very pleased with our selection of The Gooden School for our son. The academics are on a par with what we saw in our school back East, but with far less stress. Our previous school was assigning an hour to an hour and a half of homework each night in first and second grade, and it was, in my humble opinion, developmentally inappropriate, burning the children (not to mention the parents) out. Gooden has a much more sensible homework policy, and I feel it is allowing my son to be a kid and to develop his own interests and curiosity. He is much happier. Meanwhile, academics are not at all sacrificed.
Gooden also offers: a nurturing environment that finds value in each individual child; a wonderful service learning program; lots of mingling of age groups through the Buddy Program; Spanish beginning in kindergarten and Latin in middle school; a Roots and Shoots program at the Arboretum; and a fantastic strings program. The school has many different charming traditions, such as high tea several times a year, an Advent Lessons and Carols service, Blessing of the Animals for Saint Francis Day (everyone brings their pets), and much more.
We love that it is an Episcopal school and the children attend chapel twice a week. Although the school is firmly Christian, they are welcoming to and respectful of all faith traditions. In fact, respect is at the center of the school motto: «Respect for Self, Respect for Others, Respect for the World.» And the proof is in the pudding: the Gooden middle school-​aged kids to whom I’ve been exposed are all impressively well spoken and respectful. There is an emphasis on public speaking from a young age, whether it is through doing readings or prayers for chapel, or, for example, in third grade, my son has to do a presentation on a historic figure and give a shortened version of it to the whole school and the full version to his class. I think this early emphasis on public speaking contributes to the composure the older kids have.
The parent community is warm and welcoming as well. We are very happy with The Gooden School.

We have been at the school for 5 years and couldn’t be happier with the staff, teachers, academic & art program. It is a truly nurturing environment and my kids are thriving in every way. All of the students treat each other with repect and as if they were family members. I’m so happy we found this school.

We’ve been at The Gooden School for 3 years now and I could not be happier. Although Gooden is one of the smaller schools around, it has a huge community feeling with opportunity for the children to get to know kids of all ages really well. Both of my kids have made friends I’m sure they will know for the rest of thier lives. Gooden is not known as one of the highly competitive schools, however, I know that my kids could compete on the same level as kids attending schools more geared towards that. We have good friends at pretty much every other school in the area and I know the work load and homework is similiar to those schools, but my kids never seemed stressed or worried like some of thier buddies at other schools. I also love that every staff member including the teachers in our middle school know my kids by name and are willing to go the extra mile for them. I want to raise conscience, capable and confident children and believe Gooden is the perfect school to help us achive that.