SF Waldorf High School - Admissions - Frequently Asked Questions

San Francisco Waldorf High School is part of an 80 year-old tradition of Waldorf education. Waldorf education is based on the writings of Rudolph Steiner, a leading early twentieth-century philosopher. The Waldorf method of education is based on the view that students develop through a number of basic stages from childhood to adulthood.

The Waldorf curriculum is specifically designed to work with each student through each stage of his or her intellectual, social, and emotional development. With ethical values and creative exploration integrated into all programs, every aspect of Waldorf education is geared toward creating well-rounded students who have a strong sense of self, a confidence in their abilities, and the skills to help them achieve success throughout their lives.

Q: What makes San Francisco Waldorf High School unique?

We believe that as students come to know the world, they come to know themselves. In keeping with this philosophy, every aspect of the high school experience, from the science lab to the playing field to internships and community service, is viewed not only from the standpoint of academic preparation, but also from its contribution to the student’s developing sense of self. This is very rare in secondary education.

San Francisco Waldorf High School’s rigorous academic curriculum integrates ethical values and creative exploration into all programs. Grounded in the classics, academic courses at San Francisco Waldorf High School expose students to the great ideas of mankind, the events that shaped civilizations, the beauty of mathematics, the power of the arts, and the phenomena of the natural world. We are committed to academic excellence, integrating the arts, and guiding the growth of adolescents toward lives of conscience, creativity and consequence. San Francisco Waldorf High School guides students on their path to becoming intelligent, imaginative, self-confident and caring individuals.

Q: Is San Francisco Waldorf High School an art school?

San Francisco Waldorf High School is not an “art school”. However, the arts are deeply integrated in our curriculum because we believe that when the arts are a part of learning, learning becomes more meaningful and enduring. In addition, students take four hours of art classes and four hours of music per week throughout their four years at SFWHS.

Q: How does grading work?

San Francisco Waldorf School sends detailed written evaluations of student work and academic progress at the end of each semester. These reports indicate:

understanding or mastery of the subject,
strengths,
weaknesses, and
advice about how to improve.

Beginning in Grade 10, at the end of each academic year, students also receive an unofficial transcript of their grades that includes their cumulative GPA. In Grade 9, students receive either a Pass or No Credit for their courses.

Q: Do you offer academic programs such as IB and AP?

Our teachers have found that AP and IB requirements limit the subject material they can cover in their classes, and lead students to focus too much on passing the test as opposed to really understanding and synthesizing the material. As a result, SWFHS does not offer AP or IB classes. However, the academic rigor of the main lesson classes is comparable to the standard demanded by AP and IB classes at other school, and is far more engaging for our students.

Q: How is technology integrated into the academic curriculum?

Technology is used in the classroom as a teaching tool; for example in Astronomy, a computer program is used in class to simulate some of the phenomena of the sky otherwise not available during the short duration of the Astronomy block. This software allows setting the point of view of the observer everywhere on the Earth or in the solar system, and it also allows one to speed up the simulations of those astronomical phenomena that otherwise would take years of observations to investigate.

Students use the Internet as a research tool and learn how to share their work with others via the Internet as part of their history and English classes. Other uses of technology are integrated into a variety of classes. For example, in a precalculus class, students use Excel for data analysis. In digital arts video classes students use editing software as part of their film projects. During work on Junior Projects, students learn to use presentation software, such as PowerPoint. Members of the tech crews and interested music students use professional audio recording and editing software to produce studio quality sound recordings of events, performances and audition CDs. The yearbook and literary magazine learn to use a variety of software to complete design and layout for their publications. The high school library and media center currently holds over 3,000 books, CD's, and videocassettes.

Community

Q: What is the faculty like?

San Francisco Waldorf High School faculty is genuinely and deeply interested in each student’s individual needs and is closely involved in the students’ educational development. Most of our faculty holds a master’s degree or higher, including several with Ph.Ds. The faculty and staff of our school reflect our school’s diversity: ten are of underrepresented ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and seven were born outside the United States.

Q: What is San Francisco Waldorf High School’s stance on diversity?

We strongly believe that a diversity of experience strengthens the high school education for all our students. Thus, we actively seek students from a variety of racial, ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds. Currently, our student body is approximately 19% students of color, and comes from a broad range of socioeconomic backgrounds.

To promote a climate of multiculturalism at the school, the Multicultural Council was created in 2006. The Multicultural Council is made of of parents, faculty, staff, and board members who are committed to diversity and multicultural issues at San Francisco Waldorf School.

Approximately 30% of our students receive financial assistance through our Affordable Tuition Program.

The student body is drawn from a wide geographic range, with students commuting from as far away as the peninsula toward San Jose; Oakland and Piedmont in the east; and Sonoma, Corte Madera, and Mill Valley to the north.

Students entering the San Francisco Waldorf High School come from many different schools around the Bay Area. Some of our students have been enrolled in Waldorf schools since kindergarten, but for many students the high school is their first Waldorf experience.

Costs

Q: How much does San Francisco Waldorf High School cost?

The 2007-2008 high school tuition is $23,500 per year, plus $1,425 in fees (Sports Fee, Student Accident and Tuition Insurance Fee, Parents Association Fee, Textbooks/Supplies Fee).

Q: Do you offer any financial assistance?

Approximately 30% of our students receive financial aid through our Affordable Tuition Program.

Student Life

Q: What co-curricular activities does San Francisco Waldorf High School offer?

In keeping with its mission to create well-rounded students, San Francisco Waldorf High School offers a wide variety of co-curricular activities. Our students can pursue their interests by participating in our various performing arts clubs, our athletic program, our literary magazine, and other co-curricular offerings.

For a comprehensive list of clubs and activities, please visit our Clubs and Activities page.

As a member of the Bay Counties League-Central of the Bay Area Conference, San Francisco Waldorf High School competes with many other independent schools in volleyball, soccer, cross-country, basketball, track & field, baseball, and sailing. We have entered the playoffs in volleyball, basketball, and baseball, and have played for the division title in volleyball, basketball, and baseball.

Please visit our Athletics page for more information.

In addition to their academic work, all students complete a minimum of 5 weeks (60 hours) of community service to the school and the larger community and 4 weeks of internships, including a one-week public or private sector experience in the junior year and three weeks in the senior year, as part of the curriculum.

San Francisco Waldorf High School also has an active student exchange program with Waldorf schools in Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, and Argentina. In the past two years, 20 SFWHS students have participated in exchanges lasting from two to four months, including some summer study.

Q: What kinds of resources are available for San Francisco Waldorf High School students?

The high school student mentor (sometimes called “counselor” in other schools) acts as an all-school resource and helps guide our students through their high school experience. The student mentor is available to meet with students as individuals and in small groups to address any concerns regarding school matters, personal or family relationships, and social issues.

Our college counselor is another resource for students and families in the San Francisco Waldorf High School community. The college counselor assists students in understanding the college application process or in planning an alternative post-secondary path.

Each class year also has two faculty “sponsors” who act as shepherds of the class through the four years of high school. The sponsors check in with their classes at the end of each day at the class meeting, and are the first people the students and parents contact with questions or concerns. They keep a finger on the pulse of the class, and are the ones other teachers can speak to if the class or an individual student needs extra academic or social support. Class sponsors are deeply committed to the welfare of their students.

High school tutoring is provided both on and off campus. We have a professional educational consultant who assesses students at parent or faculty request, and hires tutors to work with the students as appropriate.

Q: How does San Francisco Waldorf High School support students with learning differences?

The Individualized Learning Committee, a dedicated group of faculty chaired by our school mentor, is responsible for designing and maintaining support structures for our students with learning differences. The Individualized Learning Committee meets on a weekly basis to discuss student progress, identify challenges, and help find solutions. All of our faculty members are familiar with each student’s accommodation plans.

Our small size and committed faculty allow us to give each student individual attention. For many students, this attention is enough to help them succeed in their schoolwork. However, students who have difficulty writing or reading might be overwhelmed with the quantity of writing and reading expected in many of our courses. Our faculty try to give material in three different ways – orally, visually by writing on the board, and via handouts – and this can help students with a variety of learning styles.

We look carefully at different styles of learning before we admit students to the freshman class to be certain that we are able to meet their needs. Our Director of Admission can help you determine if SFWHS will be the right high school for you.

After Waldorf

Q: What do San Francisco Waldorf students do after graduation?

Our graduates are prepared to meet a multicultural, multifaceted world with enthusiasm and have the ability to make a positive impact in any field they choose for themselves. Self-confident and creative, Waldorf graduates benefit from a base of interdisciplinary knowledge from which they may pursue any passion in any direction. They are enthusiastically involved in their education, and eagerly partake of the challenges that meet them in the world today, well-equipped with their creative thinking and problem solving capacities.

For more than 80 years, Waldorf High Schools have educated some of the world’s foremost leaders, thinkers and creative minds, including Kenneth Chenault, former president and CEO of American Express, and Kristen Nygaard, a computer scientist whose work is the basis of all modern programming languages.

Q: Where do your students go to college?

Waldorf education has an established reputation for excellent college placement. Please see our College Acceptances page for a list of the colleges and universities our students have earned acceptance to in the past five years.

Admission Process

Q: What kind of students are you looking for?

We are looking for smart, curious and imaginative students who are willing, eager, and prepared to challenge themselves academically, explore the arts, be an active member of our community, think imaginatively, look at each issue they encounter from as many sides as possible, and understand the world while making it a better place. We evaluate these points by considering:

Your interview, where we speak with you and your parents, one-on-one, and where we see who you are as an individual.

Your recommendations, where your teachers give us important assessments of who you are as a student.
Your class visit, where we see firsthand how you participate academically and socially in the classroom.
Your current school’s evaluations, where we see how you have worked as a student during 7th and 8th Grades.
A sample of your best academic work and your self-portrait, which provide a significant window through which we see even more of your “student” self and how you express yourself to the world.

Q: How do I apply?

San Francisco Waldorf High School uses the Common Application, along with its own application supplements. If you wish to request an application and receive additional information about our school, please complete our short inquiry form.

Q: Is attendance at an open house required? Is an interview required?

Attendance at an Open House, a school visit, and a student/parent interview are all required as part of our admission process. Open houses and campus visits provide an important opportunity for students and their families to learn more about our school and community. Please call the high school office (415-431-2736) to make a reservation at one of our Open Houses or to schedule a visit.

Q: What standardized tests are required?

San Francisco Waldorf School does not require any standardized testing as part of its admission process. We have found that these assessments do not give us information about our applicants that either elucidates who they are as individuals or how successful they will be during their Waldorf high school experience.

Admission Process
Visiting the School
Open Houses
Tuition
Application Forms
Request Information
Frequently Asked Questions