High School (Grades 9-12)

Sacramento Waldorf High School has been preparing young people to live fulfilling lives for nearly 50 years. Learn more about the accomplishments of our recent graduates here.

In our High School, each student is known, is seen for who they are becoming, and is valued as an individual.

Our Approach

Questions permeate adolescence and give this phase of development its unique quality. We provide a comprehensive education that recognizes the profound questions of this time and offers rigorous experiences in the Sciences, Humanities, Arts, and Mathematics within a community of passionate students, dedicated teachers, and involved parents. The Arts permeate our intellectually-challenging curriculum to develop holistic thinkers who are as comfortable developing questions as they are discovering answers.

At Sacramento Waldorf High School, education always takes place within the context of relationship and inquiry, whether it is in the classroom, in the lab, on the playing field, on the working farm, in the studio, on stage, or in any of our many campus venues. The smaller size of our school allows students to develop meaningful relationships with both peers and teachers. These relationships foster a culture of supportive risk-taking and an exploration of new thinking rather than recapitulating intellectualized platitudes. Young people are challenged further by considering the ethical components of their ideas in our school community and in the wider world they are soon to step into.

The Waldorf approach is experiential and interdisciplinary. Students spend considerable time on real-world application of concepts presented in the classroom. In Trigonometry, our students survey the campus; in Biology, they evaluate the ecosystem of our local watersheds; in Architecture, they visit local neighborhoods to develop and plan redevelopment and build scale models of their proposals. Through this experiential approach, students deepen their learning and fully engage with their studies.

Subjects are studied in concert rather than isolation. Teachers demonstrate the interconnectedness of their disciplines: how, for example, historical contexts and social movements have had profound influences on the development of the arts and sciences. Approaching a subject from a variety of perspectives provides our students with a multi-faceted understanding of complex issues and a global approach to learning and thinking. This comprehensive educational experience prepares SWS graduates to step into the world as confident, compassionate, resilient, and well-rounded individuals with deep capacities for creative, flexible, and independent thought.

The Waldorf High School Curriculum

Our curriculum—based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner and on the unique challenges and questions adolescents themselves are carrying—is designed and delivered to meet the dynamic stages of adolescent development. Some of the High School curriculum allows students to re-examine subjects introduced in the Lower School, working with these subjects at a new intellectual level and with a new consciousness. The work in the High School is designed to increase students’ abilities to think critically as well as integrally; organize, develop, and present ideas clearly; and meet and participate effectively in the world fueled by their strengthened individuality and their ideals. Throughout this process, they begin to recognize, appreciate, and harmonize the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of their lives. Learn more about Waldorf education and the way it meets the needs of adolescents.

The High School day runs from 8:30am to 3:20pm. For all grades, each Morning Lesson instructional block (an in-depth study of a particular subject) is four weeks long, five days per week, 105 minutes per day. For most Morning Lesson blocks, students create a portfolio detailing in text, illustration, and multimedia projects all that they have learned. Track classes, such as World Languages, Language Arts, Math, US History, or Physical Education last a quarter, semester, or all year and meet four days per week, 45 minutes per day.

A summary of our curriculum can be found here. And while we are always innovating and experimenting to meet the needs of our students and families, this provides a succinct snapshot in time to understand the rich offerings our High School students experience and from which they grow into adulthood.

Where Do They Go From Here?

Waldorf education is more than just preparation for college—it is a preparation for one’s entire life and for a life lived meaningfully. Our students are prepared for a wide variety of paths after High School. Sacramento Waldorf High School graduates have gone on to excel at colleges and universities such as Berklee College of Music, Brown University, Columbia University, Grinnell College, Kenyon College, New York University, Rhode Island School of Design, UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Southern California, MIT, Warren Wilson College, and many others. Some students develop an interest in trades and technical education after experiences in the practical arts and Career Explorations and seek out apprenticeships. Other students take a gap year to experience other cultures, pursue volunteering opportunities, or start their own business. Our graduates become physicians, documentary filmmakers, psychologists, educators, animators, attorneys, entrepreneurs, outdoor adventure guides, engineers, chefs, designers, and scholars to name just a few of the diverse career paths of our alums.

Ready to apply? High School Admissions Process