Middle School (6-8)
Experience the World
At San Francisco Waldorf School, middle schoolers learn about the world by experiencing it for themselves.
Through hands-on projects, service learning, and an emphasis on collaboration and group work in the classroom, we teach students to observe carefully, to ask questions, to think critically, and to be curious about the world around them, laying the foundation for advanced academic work in high school and college. By Eighth Grade, our students are well prepared to take the next step in their education, bolstered by a clear sense of their own capacities and an ability to work through challenges as they look to the future.
From electromagnetism to Shakespeare’s comedies, our rigorous middle school curriculum gives students an opportunity to look deeply into a range of subjects. A multidisciplinary approach to instruction integrates the arts into, and highlights connections between, academic subjects including math, science, and the humanities. In addition, students take classes in orchestra, woodwork, handwork, Spanish, Mandarin, physical education, and eurythmy, and participate in a rich array of service learning, outdoor education experiences, and field trips across the greater San Francisco Bay Area and the state of California.
Sixth Grade
As Sixth Graders leave the lower elementary grades, physically and academically, for new experiences in middle school, our teachers and curriculum meet their rapidly growing ability to think critically and abstractly.
Seventh Grade
In the heart of Middle School, Seventh Graders are inquisitive and eager to explore the world around them. They have a deep inner need to be impressed, which we answer through the Seventh Grade study of combustive chemistry, filled with thrilling experiments and discoveries.
Eighth Grade
Eighth Grade is a year of celebration and anticipation: a capstone to the middle school experience and a bridge to the more advanced academic program in our high school.
A Community Built on Relationships
Teachers at San Francisco Waldorf School cultivate close relationships with their students, striving to inspire and challenge them while simultaneously fostering a respectful and close-knit class community where kindness, compassion, trust, and inclusion are core values. Seen and respected by their teachers and peers, our middle schoolers know that they matter, which supports them as they develop a strong sense of self, the ability to express themselves, and resilience in the face of challenges, in and out of the classroom.
An Experiential STEM Program
A spirit of inquiry and experimentation is essential to our middle school STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) programs. We don’t start with lectures and textbooks. Instead, students learn to carefully observe natural phenomena, develop theories, and draw conclusions based on experiences in the lab or in the field—for example, by igniting flammable gases during a Seventh Grade Chemistry class or building a EC motor in an Eighth Grade study of Mechanics. In addition to the core curriculum, all students take year-long track classes with dedicated middle school math teachers. When entering high school, many of our Eighth Graders test into advanced-level math courses.
Opportunities for Independence
Over the course of middle school, students take increased responsibility for themselves and their academic work. Seventh and Eighth Grade students complete a Curriculum Project, a long-term and comprehensive independent body of research that results in a final written report, an oral presentation, and a performance and/or creative project.
Recent Curriculum Projects include an in-depth controlled study of what helps plants grow, the construction of an acoustic speaker, analyzing stock market patterns, building an electric guitar pedal, learning to play the silver flute, and studying breathwork optimization in athletes and performers.
Vibrant Student Life
Middle schoolers need lots of social time! Outside the classroom, teachers, staff, and families create a community that enriches the learning environment with assemblies, seasonal festivals, and school events that bring us together. Students connect outside of class through music ensembles, after-school sports, and extracurricular activities, such as chess club, math club, and running club.
Every year, we join five other Bay Area Waldorf schools for a lineup of social events for middle school students, including dances and athletic competitions. Our inclusive and collegial after-school sports program gives students an opportunity to compete as part of a citywide league, with coaching focused on skill-building, character development, and teamwork.
A Balanced Approach to Tech
At SFWS, middle school classes are interactive, discussion-based, hands-on, and phone-free. As middle schoolers begin to use technology and digital media independently at school and at home, our teachers lead class discussions on online behavior, information resources, digital literacy, and digital citizenship. In addition, SFWS families work together to create guidelines for the introduction of media and personal devices within the class, creating an atmosphere of intentionality and conscientiousness around tech use in our community.
Ready for the Next Steps in High School
Students at San Francisco Waldorf School are extremely well-prepared for high school: academically, socially, and personally. Our middle school curriculum goes beyond the textbook, teaching students to think critically and holstically across disciplines and to work closely with their teachers to achieve their personal best.
Many of our Eighth Grade graduates attend San Francisco Waldorf High School after graduation. Students who choose to experience something different are accepted into competitive independent high schools across the Bay Area. In recent years, SFWS middle schoolers have attended or been accepted at the following schools: Bishop Riordan, Interlochen Center for the Arts, International High School, Lick-Wilmerding, Lowell (SFUSD), Marin Academy, Ruth Asawa (SFUSD), Sacred Heart Convent, Saint Ignatius, San Domenico, Summerfield Waldorf School & Farm, The Bay School, The Drew School, and University High School.