Mission

Camellia Waldorf School is an independent non profit school in Sacramento, California serving children and families from Parent Toddler through Eighth Grade. Camellia Waldorf School educates by honoring childhood, appreciating the individuality of each student, and instilling a sense of moral and ethical responsibility while building capacities for learning and encouraging clear and creative thinking.

What We Do

As a Waldorf school, we have a unique and exciting approach to education and child development. Waldorf education was started by Rudolf Steiner in 1919 in Germany. Steiner believed that each child needed to be nurtured in their body, soul, and spirit, and that education must be based on a developmental approach.

The goal of a Waldorf education is to enable students to choose and to realize their individual potential and path in life as adults. Our Early Childhood program is based on play as the work of young children. Our teachers create an environment where imagination, a connection to nature, and a reverence for others can bloom. Our Elementary and Middle School programs work to enable the full potential of each child by developing imaginative capacities while building a strong academic foundation. An integrated approach, including arts and music, is found within all aspects of the curriculum. Waldorf students are engaged and work from an inner enthusiasm for learning. An impressive level of critical thinking, artistry, social skills and self confidence is developed through a Waldorf approach to education.

Our curriculum includes many opportunities for hands on learning including woodworking, gardening, painting, handwork, and strings (violin, cello). Our children do not receive homework until third or fourth grade, and much of their learning is project based. Waldorf education requires a strong partnership between family and school as well as a commitment to a schedule, nutrition, and a work ethic (such as chores) that supports health and responsibility. Graded work does not begin until Middle School and it is never competitive in nature. Our seventh and eighth grade students participate in Terra Nova testing, as part of their preparation for high school, and generally score at least two to the three years ahead of grade level. Our graduates attend a range of outstanding independent schools and magnet programs in public schools.