The Waldorf School of Mendocino County is part of a world wide community of schools working from the philosophy and ideas given by Rudolf Steiner over 80 years ago with the creation of the first Waldorf School. There are now approximately 200 Waldorf Schools in North America and over 1,000 worldwide, double the number just a decade ago. Waldorf is one of the fastest growing educational movements in the world today.
Established in 1972, The Waldorf School of Mendocino County currently enrolls approximately 170 students from pre-school to eighth grade. It is located in Calpella, California, between the towns of Willits to the north and Ukiah to the south. It has been recognized as a full member in the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America since 1990.
Waldorf education was founded in 1919 by Rudolf Steiner, a renowned Austrian philosopher. Many eminent child specialists — such as Jean Piaget, David Elkind, Joseph Chilton Pearce and members of the Gesell Institute — have subsequently confirmed Steiner’s profound insights into education and human development.
The Waldorf approach to education is a vital and dynamic process designed to develop free, confident human beings who have creativity, discipline and soul strength to meet the challenges of our changing world. The imagination, joy and wonder essential to childhood are cultivated to foster a natural love of learning in which the whole child is engaged — body, mind and spirit.