Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School

Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School
Location
327 Route 21C Ghent , NY United States
Information
Type	Co-ed, Private, Waldorf school
Established	1973
Director	Karin Almquist
Faculty	38
Enrollment	300
Student to teacher ratio	8:1
Campus	Rural, 400 acres
Colors	Red and blue
Athletics	Varsity and modified teams
Website	www.hawthornevalleyschool.org

Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School (HVWS) is an independent co-educational Waldorf day school set in the foothills of the Taconic Mountains in Ghent, Columbia County, New York, USA. The school offers classes from pre-kindergarten to grade 12. It is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools and by the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America.^{[ citation needed ]}

Founded in 1973, the school is one of the oldest and largest of the approximately 170 independent Waldorf Education schools in North America.^{[ citation needed ]} The first high school class graduated in 1983.^{[ citation needed ]}

The high school has a boarding program for students from other schools.^{[ citation needed ]} It has enrolled students from Afghanistan, Canada, China, several European nations and Mexico.^{[ citation needed ]}

Curriculum

The school follows an interdisciplinary approach based on the Waldorf curriculum, with an emphasis on English, mathematics and science skills and on art, music and intercultural understanding.^{[ citation needed ]} The high school curriculum is college preparatory.^{[ citation needed ]}

Situated on an organic biodynamic farm, all grades at the school have classes that integrate farm science (biology, economics, nutrition) with their curriculum. ^[1] In 3rd and 9th grade, HVS students spend a week directly learning at the farm.^{[ citation needed ]}

Events

The school's annual public events include:

• The Fall Farm Festival (the second Sunday of October)^{[ citation needed ]}
• The Yuletide Fair (the first Saturday of December)^{[ citation needed ]}
• The Spring Fair and May Day Celebration (the first Saturday of May)^{[ citation needed ]}

Sport

HVS competes with public and private schools in cross-country, volleyball and basketball. It also fields club soccer teams for boys and girls.^{[ citation needed ]}

• In 2008, the HVWS varsity cross-country team won the New York State Class D cross-country championship.^{[ citation needed ]}
• In 2009, the HVWS varsity cross-country team finished third in the New York State Class D cross-country championship.^{[ citation needed ]}

Larger community

HVS is a branch of the Hawthorne Valley Association, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to social renewal through education, agriculture and the arts.^{[ citation needed ]}

External links

• Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School Archived October 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine

42°16′14″N73°35′36″W / 42.27056°N 73.59333°W / 42.27056; -73.59333

References

1. Craig, Anne Pyburn (September 1, 2019). "100 Years of Waldorf Education". Chronogram Magazine. Retrieved October 28, 2025.