Los Angeles County’s very own Arcadia Unified School District has been recognized as one of the top five best places to teach in California and has earned additional bragging rights for 2023 as the #1 Best Place to Teach in Los Angeles County and the #50 Best Places to Teach in America, according to Niche’s newest rankings.
In compiling its 2023 rankings, Niche, a prominent website for school and neighborhood reviews, examined over 10,750 school districts nationally, over 680 schools in California, and 78 school districts in Los Angeles County. Placing Arcadia Unified at the top in several categories, Niche also identified Arcadia Unified as the #8 Best School District in California and the #62 Best School District in America. In addition, Arcadia Unified received an overall A+ Niche mark, with additional A+ grades in academics, college prep, teachers, and administration.
“Receiving this humbling local, statewide, and national recognition is a true celebration of our commitment to creating a healthy school culture and climate in our district,” Arcadia Unified Board of Education President Fenton Eng said.
According to its website, Niche performs a rigorous analysis of public data sets, including those from the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Census, and takes into account over 100 million reviews and survey responses to arrive at its annual rankings.
Arcadia Unified 2023 Niche Ranking Highlights:
- #1 Best Places to Teach in Los Angeles County
- #5 Best Places to Teach in California
- #50 Best Places to Teach in America
- #3 Best School Districts in Los Angeles Area
- #8 Best School Districts in California
- #6 Districts with the Best Teachers in Los Angeles Area
- #14 Districts with the Best Teachers in California
“At the heart of our work is ensuring our staff feels seen, supported, and valued,” Arcadia Unified Superintendent Dr. David Vannasdall shared.
Dr. Vannasdall explained that one way Arcadia Unified seeks to achieve this is through its use of “Interest-Based Bargaining” (IBB) with its district unions, such as the Arcadia Teachers Association, to create robust professional relationships rooted in trust and transparency.
As Dr. Vannasdall described, IBB steers away from hard-hitting negotiation methods. At its core, IBB operates with the assumption that win-win outcomes are achievable. Through IBB, everyone at the bargaining table works together as joint problem-solvers who discuss and search for solutions and agreements that are mutually beneficial.
Arcadia Unified also offers competitive teacher salaries. According to the California Department of Education, the average salary of California public school teachers in the 2020-21 school year was $85,856, while Arcadia Unified’s average teacher salary is more than $111,000, not including benefits. Arcadia Unified, which gave every employee a 6% raise last school year, ranks as one of the highest-paying school districts in Los Angeles County.
Another example of how the district keeps its focus on team bonding and relationship building that Dr. Vannasdall shared is the district’s built-in collaboration time for its educators and staff every school year, as explained in this Arcadia Unified Digital Education Station installment.
Original source can be found here.
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