Upper School Physics Teacher

Upper School Physics Teacher

Start Date: August 2026

VISION: Inspire students to achieve their dreams and reach beyond themselves to make a difference in the world.

MISSION: Hillbrook provides an extraordinary educational experience that fosters a love of learning in our students and helps them develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to achieve their highest individual potential in school and in life. At Hillbrook, students are known, respected and valued as individuals and every day is a journey of self-discovery, imaginative thinking, creative problem solving, laughter and friendship.

CORE VALUES: Be kind. Be curious. Take risks. Be your best.

The Position: What Will You Do & How Will We Collaborate?

The Upper School PhysicsTeacher will be an experienced educator with a strong foundation in secondary STEM instruction and a collaborative approach to teaching and learning. This role is well suited to a teacher who values inquiry-based learning and supports students in developing problem-solving, analytical, and computational thinking skills across disciplines.

The teacher will design and facilitate courses that emphasize investigation, modeling, and reasoning in mathematics, physics, and computer science, and will work closely with colleagues to create engaging, student-centered learning experiences. This role builds on a strong JK–11 STEM foundation and offers a meaningful opportunity to contribute to the development of an Upper School program that prioritizes curiosity, experimentation, and real-world application across quantitative and computational fields.

The Hillbrook Employee: Who Are You?

Do our Core Values – Be kind. Be curious. Take risks. Be your best. – align with how you show up as a professional? Are you committed to building and bridging inclusive communities? Do you believe learning should be an active and relational process? Do you enjoy nurturing and maintaining best practices and continuity of programs, while also evolving programs in response to new information? Are equity and impact at the forefront of what you do? Are you entrepreneurial? Do you thrive in small collaborative environments? Do you seek opportunities for interdisciplinary, experiential learning? Do you believe that students are capable changemakers at any age and stage? A Hillbrook employee will emphatically say yes to each of these questions.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

• Actively participate in a collaborative employee culture that is committed to being at the leading edge of JK - 12th grade education.
• Teach up to 4 sections of Physics including topics such as calculus-based physics and computer science
• Advise 12 /- students, and support students in their HEx community engagement projects
• Provide a hands-on, inquiry-based style of teaching that exemplifies how student wellness, intellectual rigor, and a deep commitment to social impact and DEI are critical to a Hillbrook learning experience
• Effectively manage flexible, collaborative learning experiences with various sized groups of students
• Participate in the design of the new campus and classrooms
• Thoughtfully integrate technology into the curriculum
• Collaboratively design and teach 2, 3-week Reach Beyond Immersives (transdisciplinary, project-based courses using the city and the world as our classroom)
• Actively participate in a faculty culture that is committed to being at the leading edge of JK-12 education
• Report to the Head of Upper School

Qualifications

• Desire and ability to work in a collegial, highly collaborative environment
• Demonstrated commitment to teaching and learning in a diverse, dynamic, and progressive school community
• A commitment to anti-racism and demonstrated skill designing equitable and inclusive educational experiences and learning environments that incorporate themes of diversity and justice
• Bachelor’s degree in education, physics, mathematics, or related field.
• Experience with competency-based education preferred
• Interest and experience in computer programming and computational thinking preferred
• A love of and experience in teaching high school-age children
• Proficiency in and curiosity about educational technology
• A growth mindset, sense of humor, and excellent organizational and communication skills

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, & Action

As noted in our Commitment to Community & Belonging, Hillbrook values a diverse and inclusive community that reflects the richness of Silicon Valley. All employees contribute to creating an environment where students and families feel respected, supported, and connected.

A highly collaborative community, we use the following norms to guide our communication with each other:

• Assume good will
• Come from your own experience
• Be more curious than certain
• Hold yourself and others capable

Our commitment to these norms makes it possible for us to partner meaningfully, disagree productively, and lean into conversations that are both challenging and generative.

Each and every day our students will be challenged to live out our Core Values - be kind, be curious, take risks, be your best - as they engage with an exceptional team of educators committed to helping each student reach their highest potential in school and in life. Our program is also guided by the core questions of the Scott Center for Social Entrepreneurship - “What matters to you? What are you doing about it?” Simple yet provocative, these two questions inspire all members of our community as they convey two foundational beliefs: learning must be purposeful and have enduring impact, and leveraging student interest drives both engagement and success. Hillbrook, unlike any other school, not only calls on its students to make the world a better place, but also explicitly prioritizes the skills and habits that prepare them to do so, activating and empowering students to make immediate and lasting social impact during their JK-12 years while launching them into a lifetime of social impact work.

To Apply

Salaries are competitive. Benefits include: full medical, dental, and vision coverage; ample retirement planning; a generous holiday schedule; religious/cultural holidays following each employee’s faith and background; access to the latest state-of-the-art educational technology; and a strong commitment to engaging and personalized professional development.

Hillbrook School is an Equal Opportunity Employer and seeks candidates from diverse backgrounds. Hillbrook School is committed to fostering and sustaining a learning community and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy applies to, but is not limited to, educational policies, admission, financial aid, hiring and employment practices, use of school facilities, athletics, and other school-administered programs and activities.

The annual salary range for this role is $80,000 - $145,000 for full-time work, dependent on years of experience. Please apply by submitting your resume/CV and letter of intent via this application form.

About Hillbrook School

Hillbrook School is an independent Junior Kindergarten - 12th grade school located on two campuses in San José and Los Gatos, California. The JK - 8th grade is located on 14 acres in Los Gatos and the 9th-12th grade is in two historic buildings in downtown San José. Founded in 1935, Hillbrook is known for its student centered approach to education where students are known as individuals and learning is active and engaging. You can learn more about Hillbrook at https://www.hillbrook.org/.