Address: 8700 South View Road
Phone: 512-288-5942
Web site: www.austinwaldorf.org
About Waldorf Education
Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher, scientist and artist, founded Waldorf Education in 1919. The program is based on the belief that every person is unique and passes through distinct stages of life. According to the Austin Waldorf School, “It is the responsibility of education to address the physical, social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs of each developmental stage.”
Waldorf is more flexible and creative than traditional schools. It eschews competitive testing and uses dynamic and pictorial teaching to bring dry subjects to life. The education system strives to make children enthusiastic about learning. Waldorf Education is now practiced in 55 countries by more than 900 independent schools.
About the Austin Waldorf School
The Austin Waldorf School was established in 1980 with just 11 students, but it now has over 380 students and continues to grow. The non-profit school offers classes from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The campus sits on 19 acres on the edge of the Texas Hill Country. The school is a full accredited member of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) and the Independent School Association of the Southwest (ISAS).
Each day, students receive both individual and group learning experiences. Learning is imaginative and creative, and each subject incorporates some form of art, such as drama, music, art, storytelling, crafts or poetry. The school works to balance academic, artistic and practical disciplines, making the children well-rounded. According to the Austin Waldorf’s Web site, “The school's guiding values are a life-long love of learning, creative thinking and self-confidence, a sympathetic interest in the world and the lives of others, and an abiding sense of moral purpose.” Rather than focusing on any one component of education, the school strives to educate the whole child--the heads, hearts and the hands.
Austin Waldorf School Admissions
There are several steps to the admissions process for those interested in the Austin Waldorf School. First, the interested student must visit the school on a visitor morning, which are usually held once a month from October to March. After attending a visitor morning, you will receive an application to fill out. Applications for fall admissions are usually due in March. However, the school does have rolling admissions, so they accept applications year-round should a space open mid-year.
The school then selects an applicant pool based on available spaces, and an interview will be scheduled between the candidate and a teacher. Some candidates will be chosen to return to the school and visit the appropriate class for one to three days. The candidate will then be notified of the decision within a week of the classroom visit. Then it’s time for paperwork and the payment of enrollment fees.
