Washington Waldorf School

At the Washington Waldorf School, we prepare young people for the future by developing their full capacities for creative imagination, critical thinking, and active engagement in the world.

Washington Waldorf is one of more than 1,000 Waldorf schools worldwide, and is rooted in the pioneering work of Rudolf Steiner. Our purpose is to develop the whole human being in a healthy and nurturing environment.

WWS educates the whole child. Our curriculum is designed to develop our students academically, emotionally, and physically. In practice, this means that - in addition to a strong grounding in core academic skills - WWS students have many opportunities to engage in the arts, music, and drama, as well as practical manual skills in textile arts, metalwork, woodwork, and more. Moreover, the arts aren't simply extra classes; they are woven throughout the curriculum. Waldorf students also receive extensive training in movement and spend a large amount of time outside.

The Waldorf curriculum is developmentally appropriate. Children have very different capacities at different ages, and our curriculum is tailored to meet students "where they are." We believe young children, up until first grade, need to spend much of their time in free play. This builds their capacities for imagination and goal setting, while also building social skills and small motor skills. Academics are introduced in the early grades, and gradually become more intense into the middle school years. At the same time, the Lower School curriculum is rich in the arts, storytelling, and drama, which cultivates the students' ability to be empathetic and compassionate. By High School, the curriculum is designed to cultivate the students' capacities for rigorous critical thinking, supplemented by continued - more advanced - work in arts, music, and expressive movement.