A Pre-K through 12 private school in San Diego, where we educate the whole child — head, heart, and hands.
Where children love to learn
At the Waldorf School of San Diego, every learning program is shaped by curiosity, every child is met with care, and every experience is built with craft. We don’t just teach — we inspire.
Est. 1981
Founded in San Diego
94%
College acceptance
16 : 1
Average student-teacher ratio
A+
Niche grade
Pre-K – 12
Every grade, one school
Four programs
One philosophy. A child’s whole journey.
Early Childhood
No screens. No rush. Just childhood, done right. Pre-K and kindergarten. Children learn through play, imitation, and imagination — building curiosity, confidence, and care for the world.
Learn MoreLower School
This is where the foundation gets built. And it lasts. Grades 1 through 5 comprises storytelling, art, music, and hands-on discovery. Academic rigor and imagination, working together.
Learn MoreMiddle School
This is where curiosity gets serious. In Grades 6 through 8, the students step into the world — questioning, experimenting, challenging ideas they encounter.
Learn MoreHigh School
Where artists learn to think like scientists — and scientists learn to see like artists. Grades 9 through 12. The only Waldorf high school in San Diego County. 94% of graduates accepted to college.
Learn More94% of our high school graduates go on to attend college
98% get into their top 2 schools. 88% graduate from college, vs the 50% national average.
Four things that make WSSD a different kind of school
A screen-free childhood
Deliberate, not anti-tech. Children develop attention before they meet algorithms designed to capture it.
An inquiry-led classroom
Children ask questions because they’re ready to, not because they’re tested on the answers.
The arts in every subject
Painting, music, handwork, and movement aren’t Friday afternoons. They’re how every subject is learned, every day.
A small community of teachers
A team of teachers gets to know your child as a learner — their talents, their stretches, and where they need a hand to grow. 16 students per class, on average.
WSSD costs less than you think.
And we work with families on what it actually costs.
Tuition starts at $13,838. 28% of families receive tuition adjustment, averaging $7,048. Compare that to other private schools that charge between $44,300 and $52,000 – with tuition running roughly twice as high with no adjustment for most.
Hear what WSSD families have to say
“In Waldorf education, you’re encouraged to observe things and to figure out why you’re doing what you’re doing and to really ask a lot of questions, which in other schools it seems…that there’s a lot of being told to memorize things.”
Jasper Giglio
Alumnus
“Instead of thinking very narrowly and focused…[I’m] able to relate different aspects of whatever I’m doing, whether that’s a physics project or even a paper that I’m writing, I can always tie it into all of these different experiences that I had at Waldorf.”
Quinten Giglio
Alumnus
“It’s that familiarity that makes us feel like Waldorf students, and when you’re…five years out of the school and you don’t feel that anymore, and you meet someone who has been a Waldorf student, you immediately get rushed back into your memories, your childhood and those experiences that shaped us to be who we are.”
Hunter Ottman
Alumnus
“This is a school that sees the children as individual beings, as spiritual beings, and so the teachers take great care and spend much of their energy on meeting each student where they’re at.”
Amelia Vance
Alumnus
The best way to understand a Waldorf education is to see it.
Tours run regularly throughout the school year — about 60 to 90 minutes, with time to ask the questions a website can’t answer.