The Waldorf School
of Santa Barbara

Thank you for your interest in the Waldorf School of Santa Barbara.

Here, you will find information that begins to introduce the principles and philosophies that make a Waldorf education unique. We are the largest and fastest growing independent school system in the world, with nearly 1,000 Waldorf schools in 50 countries. Waldorf education has 85-year track record of proven learning techniques backed up by research in brain development, kinesthetic learning, and emotional intelligence.

The Waldorf School of Santa Barbara offers a unique combination of classic academics anchored by an arts rich curriculum. Waldorf students from pre-kindergarten through grade eight are engaged in a dynamic learning process through which they develop the skills and motivation for a lifetime of learning.

The Waldorf School of Santa Barbara is a close-knit school community, where families, faculty, and administration work together to support and provide the best possible experiences for our students. Our goal is to prepare students to enter adulthood with the gifts of self-discipline, independence, analytical and critical thinking skills, and reverence for the world’s beauty and wonder.

We invite you to visit our campus to take a look at our school in action. We offer prospective families regular opportunities to discover the depth and beauty of our curriculum through Walks through the Grades, as well as Open House events and Private Tours.

We realize that researching schools can be an exciting and challenging endeavor. We are here to answer your questions and concerns, and assist you in any way possible. We look forward to meeting you.



To see the whole in every part, to engage the head, heart and hands: this is the endeavor of teachers in over 750 Waldorf schools around the world. Founded in Stuttgart, Germany in 1919 by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, Waldorf schools arose from the widespread search for new values after World War I.

Waldorf education is equally relevant today, when our children need to become creative thinkers, confident in their own abilities, possessing a reverence for life and a strong sense of personal responsibility. Indeed, the Waldorf system has become the fastest growing independent, non-denominational educational movement in the world, with schools all across the globe. Each school is run autonomously and values meeting local needs, yet all Waldorf schools are united by a common educational philosophy.

The heart of the Waldorf approach is the conviction that education is an art. Its goal is to present life to the children in such a way that they are filled with wonder and enthusiasm. This demands that the presentation of subject matter, be it math, history, or physics, must be alive and speak to the child’s experience. To truly educate a child, the heart and will must be reached as well as the mind. The intention is not merely to instruct, but to inspire and motivate each child’s creative forces from within; to lead the child to a balanced development of clear and precise thought, a rich and healthy emotional life, and a developed power of will which allows worthy application of his or her thoughts and feelings to practical challenges in the world.

Children pass through three basic stages of cognitive development and the Waldorf curriculum is designed to engage the abilities of the growing child during each of these stages. In the preschool this is accomplished through guided creative play and purposeful activity; in the lower grades through the imaginative and artistic presentation of material by a class teacher, and in the upper grades through challenging the student’s awakening capacity for independent thought. Thus, the uniqueness of the Waldorf system lies not so much in what children are taught (they pursue a rigorous classical curriculum) but in how and when.

We are cautious about introducing abstract intellectual concepts too soon, aiming instead to bring the intellectual faculty to full flower in a deliberately gradual way. We believe that many dilemmas of the modern world are the direct result of intellectual knowledge that has outstripped our capacities for empathy, morality, and creativity in solving problems. Waldorf education is designed to help children develop strengths for a lifetime.