Marin Waldorf SchoolSan Rafael, California · Est. 1972
We are a Waldorf school on a 10-acre campus in Lucas Valley, offering whole-child education from parent-child classes through eighth grade.
We cultivate resilient, confident, authentic humans with deep self-knowledge and the tools to meet the future and make positive change in the world.
Since our founding in 1972, we have grown from acorn to oak grove. Today we are a school community anchored by more than 50 years of history.
We strive to be an inclusive community of students, teachers, families and staff that know each other deeply and support one another with mutual respect and care.
Parent & Baby (birth to 14 months) builds a support network for early parenthood. Parent & Toddler (15 months to 2 years 9 months) offers playful morning gatherings for children, parents and caregivers.
Preschool is a first sustained step away from home, with a secure first separation built on trust in new caregivers and a new place.
Kindergarten students learn through imitation, rhythm and group activities, with teachers modeling kindness and regulation.
The goal of our elementary program is academic mastery that never separates from feeling and doing. We cultivate students who don't just know things, but care about them and can make them.
Our goal is graduates who can identify their own unique gifts and can competently and thoughtfully bring them to the world. In Grade 8, each student completes an independent research project and presents it publicly.
Our curriculum connects intellectual, artistic and practical learning, with subjects designed to reinforce one another.
Children receive formal instruction in both Mandarin and Spanish from 1st to 6th grade. After that, students focus on the study of a single foreign language for the final two years of middle school.
Our Educational Support Program Director formally assesses each student annually for academic and developmental milestones, including reading, comprehension, spelling and math.
Students create main lesson books with handwritten essays, diagrams, maps, watercolors and geometric constructions, organizing and illustrating their learning.
Our core values are success, connection, individuality and community.
We build children up for life-long success, both in and out of the classroom, by developing their intellectual, physical, and emotional capabilities through age-appropriate and scientifically-backed approaches.
We create genuine connections to the beauty in the world around us by emphasizing artistic, interactive, joyful, and nature-based experiences while de-emphasizing technology and promoting environmental responsibility.
We see and honor each child for who they are; recognizing their unique gifts and developmental journey, fostering their authentic self-expression, unlocking their academic potential, and helping them discover their life’s purpose.
We know empathy, collaboration, and openness to diverse perspectives are foundational skills.
Tuition 2026-27
We are committed to affordability and to economic diversity in our student body. Kindergarten, Elementary and Middle School students are eligible for confidential tuition assistance; preschool students are not. We also offer the Lesley Rosenberg Inclusion Scholarship and the Native Reconciliation Tuition Program.
We accept applications on a rolling basis as space allows.
Feb 5
Application due
Feb 5
Financial aid due
Mar 11
Decisions
Mar 18
Enrollment due
Preschool and kindergarten group tours are on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., and Grades 1 to 8 group tours are on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Private tours are available on request. We ask that adults attend group tours without children.
Applications for the 2027-2028 school year open October 19, 2026. Inquire and we will set up a time to connect, visit us, then apply. A family interview with your child's teacher and a student visit follow, and we tell you our decision by email.
