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Imagine your child in a Waldorf school nestled in a forested valley in southeast British Columbia, just outside of a small, vibrant city that has been cited by Mothering Magazine as one of the best places in Canada to raise a child. On the shore of pristine Kootenay Lake, Nelson is home to an eclectic population, enjoys four seasons of outdoor recreation opportunity, and demonstrates a very real sense of community. One of only a few rural Waldorf schools in North America, the Nelson Waldorf School enjoys phenomenal support from the people of Nelson and has also attracted families from all over the world. Typically, these are people who have chosen to make a significant lifestyle change—leaving larger urban centres, slowing down, living more simply, and giving something very special to their children.

Since 1983, the Nelson Waldorf School has been providing Waldorf education to children of the West Kootenay area. As a full Kindergarten to Grade Eight school, it offers a comprehensive curriculum of academic rigour, artistic excellence, and ethical development. The curriculum integrates subjects so that they build on each other in a meaningful and lively way. Children stay with their age group to allow the curriculum to meet their developmental needs on an emotional, intellectual, physical, and spiritual level. All grades are taught specialty subjects, such as French language, music, handwork, woodwork, and eurythmy by teachers who specialize in these subjects.

The Nelson Waldorf School is a full member school of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) and is provincially recognized and funded as a Class One Independent School. The curriculum meets the British Columbia Education Ministry guidelines, and all teachers are Waldorf Trained and provincially certified.

The main menu headings above provide a wealth of information about the school. Hover over the headings to reveal sub-headings that allow you to go directly to any page of interest. For example, under the Home menu heading you can go directly to pages with information on Why Waldorf?, the School History, our Mission Statement, the Board of Directors, our Code of Compassion, and even the School Song.

Nelson Waldorf School, Box 165, Nelson, BC, V1L 5P9, Canada
(250) 352-6919, info@nelsonwaldorf.org

Hear Nelson Waldorf School students singing "Our Hero" 

(With thanks to Jude Davison; additional songs are available here.)

By the time they reach us at the college and university level, [Waldorf] students are grounded broadly and deeply and have a remarkable enthusiasm for learning. Such students possess the eye of the discoverer, and the compassionate heart of the reformer which, when joined to a task, can change the planet.

Arthur Zajonc, Professor of Physics, Amherst College