Summerfield Waldorf School and Farm

08/04/2026

Summerfield Waldorf High School's Distinction Scholarship recognizes new students entering grades 7-10 who demonstrate outstanding social leadership, academic merit, artistic achievement, or athletic endeavors.

Combined with need-based financial aid, it can cover up to full tuition. Visit summerfieldwaldorf.org for all the details!

Summerfield Waldorf High School's Distinction Scholarship recognizes new students entering grades 7-10 who show real strength in social leadership, academic merit, artistic achievement, or athletic endeavors. Combined with need-based financial aid, it can cover up to full tuition.

06/30/2026

Meet Our Farmer, Birgit Landowne

Birgit was born and raised in Germany and moved to the US at age 30, after retiring from professional nursing in the ICU and ER.

After working as a CSA farmer for 15 years, Birgit moved with her family to the Finger Lakes in upstate NY, continuing farming and selling vegetables at the local Farmers’ Markets, restaurants, and stores in the area.

Birgit says, “Farming has always been my passion and after gaining more experience, I moved with my husband and two children to Kimberton, PA, where we had a lovely community and watched our children thrive in the Waldorf community there. I love life at Summerfield, growing food for the lunch program and participating in the community as an experienced farmer and parent.”

06/30/2026

Why Waldorf?

Waldorf pedagogy is a developmentally appropriate, experiential, and academically rigorous approach to education. It integrates the arts in all academic disciplines for children from preschool through 12th grade to enhance and enrich learning. Waldorf education aims to inspire lifelong learning in all students and to enable them to fully develop their unique capacities.

Professors who teach Waldorf graduates across many fields of study and across a wide range of campuses—from state universities to Ivy League schools—note that Waldorf graduates have the ability to integrate thinking; to assimilate information, as opposed to memorizing isolated facts; to be flexible, creative, and willing to take intellectual risks; and are leaders with high ethical and moral standards who take initiative and are passionate about reaching their goals. Waldorf graduates are highly sought after in higher education.

06/26/2026

Summerfield Waldorf School & Farm is a top-rated private school located on a 38-acre campus in beautiful Sonoma County.

Our school was established in 1974 by parents who wanted to offer their children an educational experience balancing academic rigor, arts, and the opportunity to participate in life on a working farm.

As an established school with a 50-year history, we offer a meaningful, engaging curriculum that develops a lifelong love of learning in our students.

Join a Summer Tour on July 15th or August 5th and see our campus for yourself!

06/25/2026

What do young children need to grow and learn?

Some of the key ingredients include love, joy, and supportive adults to guide them, along with nourishing food, plenty of sleep, lots of movement and free play, and a sense of security and freedom.

Our Early Childhood programs surround children with everything they need to thrive. Join a Summer Tour on July 15th or August 5th and discover what makes us a great choice for young children!

06/19/2026

Why do our Kindergarteners create their own swords?

The image of the sword is one of strength, courage and nobility. In the Waldorf Kindergarten, we call upon the children to rise and use the sword nobly and with honor in their playtime. With such an honor comes the utmost respect for safety with, and care for, the swords. We teach the children that the sword is one of “golden light to do what is good and right” and is only to be used wisely and properly.

We sometimes use this verse for sword play:
“I will use this sword for the right, not for some silly quarrel or fight. But to drive away evil, I will try, and protect those who are weaker than I.”

With great pride and determination, our Kindergarteners worked diligently on their swords at the end of the school year: sawing, rasping, sanding, nailing, and polishing. This gave the children a sense of accomplishment, and their swords became quite special, especially after they were knighted with them during the last week of school.

06/18/2026

Summerfield Waldorf School & Farm is a beautiful 38-acre property nestled in an old oak grove. It includes a 4-acre pasture for animals and a 2-acre vegetable garden that supplies produce to the school’s organic lunch program, as well as to the farm stand serving the wider community. Since the farm’s inception, we have been sustainably working the land using Biodynamic® methods first introduced by Rudolf Steiner in 1924.

Our animals live truly exceptional lives. The farm is home to 3 (soon to be 4) cows, 14 sheep, 3 goats, 50 chickens, 5 ducks, and 12 bunnies. These animals are an essential part of our holistic, closed-loop farming system, working in harmony with the vegetable garden to produce nutrient-rich compost.

Students from Kindergarten through Grade 12 benefit deeply from their connection with the animals. They love them, learn from them, and help care for them through farm chores woven into their daily curriculum.

Join a Summer Tour on July 15th or August 5th!

06/16/2026

At Summerfield Waldorf School & Farm, education comes alive through experiential learning, creativity, and community.

We invite you to discover the beauty and intentionality that make Summerfield such a special place for young people to grow, explore, and thrive.

We believe in nurturing the whole child—hands, heart, and head—through a rich curriculum that spans from birth to 18 years old.

From the earliest years in our parent-child program to the transformative experiences of our high school, every stage of learning at our school is designed to honor the unique journey of each student. We take an active and immersive approach to education, engaging all the senses to create a learning environment that is hands-on and transformative.

Join a Summer Tour on July 15th or August 5th and experience our school for yourself!

06/12/2026

In our Middle School, students meet new challenges, appropriate for their growing independence and deep desire to make a difference in the world.

In Grades Six, Seven and Eight, when a new level of abstract thinking emerges, our faculty bring a whole realm of new subjects and new ways of observing the world to their classes.

Join a Summer Tour on July 15th or August 5th and see how our curriculum will engage your middle-schooler! Register now at the link in our bio.

06/10/2026

Congratulations to our Eighth Grade and Twelfth Grade graduates! We’re so proud of you, and excited to see the difference you’ll make in the world as you take your next steps.

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