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United States, Washington Dc
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Washington Waldorf School was founded in 1969 as a grade school in Washington, D.C., by Clopper Almon, Gene and Esther Smith, and Roberta van Schilfgaarde, with Carl Hoffman as the first teacher. By 1971 the school had expanded to pre-K through 8th grade at Hearst Hall on the Washington National Cathedral grounds. In 1982 the school moved to its six-acre Sangamore Road site in Bethesda, Maryland, with plans to develop a high school; the high school opened in 1984 and the first high school class graduated in 1988. In 2012 the school signed a 30-year lease, completed major renovations in 2015, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019, and opened the John & Mary Brauer Gym in 2023.
The WWS community marks the year with time-honored events and festivals across fall, winter, and spring. Fall events include the First Day of School assembly for Grades 1–8, Back to School Family Picnic, Rose Ceremony, Michaelmas, Fall Festival, and Fall Bazaar. Winter features Evergreen Spiral, Community Solstice Gathering, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday observances with classroom or school-wide activities. Spring includes Spring Festival, Spring Gala and Auction, Grandparents' and Special Friends Day, Senior Play, Field Day and Community Picnic, and the Rose Ceremony.
The WWS Parent/Family Organization (PFO) works in close collaboration with the school leadership to organize parent and family engagement, strengthen community and culture, and support school faculty and staff. Participating in the PFO connects with the school's more than 400 parents and caregivers and helps create a sense of belonging across the school. The PFO coordinates activities such as volunteering hundreds of hours for the Fall Bazaar, MLK Jr. Day of Service, and hosting grandparents and special friends with many volunteers. It also runs teacher appreciation events, supports class representatives who partner with teachers and families, and collaborates with faculty on parent education events.
Washington Waldorf School, located in Bethesda, Maryland, provides an education based on the Waldorf Steiner curriculum for students from eighteen months through twelfth grade. The curriculum integrates arts and physical movement into daily academic lessons; for example, students learn mathematical patterns through rhythmic movement and geometry through precise form drawing. In the lower school, a class teacher typically stays with the same group of students for multiple years to provide continuity. The high school features a four-year lab science sequence and specialized blocks in humanities. A distinctive feature of the school is the "Handwork" and "Practical Arts" program, where all students learn skills such as knitting, sewing, and woodworking to support cognitive and fine motor development. Facilities include specialized spaces for orchestra, a woodworking shop, and outdoor gardening areas. Students study both Spanish and German beginning in the early grades. The school operates as a co-educational day school.
