High School
Shining Mountain High School is a thriving community where high-achieving, self-driven students celebrate each other’s unique strengths. Rooted in the rich Waldorf tradition of interdisciplinary study, creative reasoning, and collaborative discovery, our environment gives students the safety and freedom to think critically and express who they truly are. Together, our students build an authentic culture of mutual care and intellectual curiosity that lasts well beyond graduation—where 98% of alumni attend college and 95% complete their degrees, outperforming national standards with confidence and agency.
6 DAILY BLOCKS DRIVE DEEPER LEARNING
What is a Block?
Our academic calendar is structured around intensive terms known as Blocks, with most lasting 4 weeks, and select immersive blocks stretching across 8 weeks. Instead of scattering focus across multiple disparate topics at once, students concentrate deeply on a single topic within each subject area.
By removing the constant context-switching within a subject, students can engage in immersive lectures, hands-on projects, fieldwork, and collaborative discussions.
Each 4-week block ends in a Block Party where students display and share their work with the rest of the school community.
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6 Daily Blocks: Students take six blocks per day, ranging from 50 to 90 minutes each.
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Main Lesson Anchor: The school day starts with Main Lesson to set a focused academic tone.
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Deep Subject Focus: Students dive deep into one topic per subject (lasting 4 to 8 weeks) rather than scattering focus.
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No Constant Context Switching: Concentrated time eliminates constant subject-switching, allowing for immersive, hands-on learning.
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Block Party Finale: Every 4-week block culminates in a Block Party to share and celebrate completed work.
What Makes the Block Schedule Powerful & Special
Manageable Workloads
By removing the cognitive fatigue of constant context-switching, students devote their focus to one discipline. This builds momentum and keeps daily objectives clear and achievable.
Immersive, Hands-On Learning
Extended daily class sessions give room for real-world projects, extended lab work, and field trips without ever conflicting with other scheduled classes.
Meaningful Connections
Spending concentrated daily time with the same teacher and peers creates a tight-knit classroom community and fosters stronger mentorship.
Built-in Momentum & Reset
Completing a full course every four weeks gives a continuous sense of accomplishment and lets students start each new block with renewed energy.
Join Us Through Homeschool Block Courses
Shining Mountain offers individually accredited enrollment for most block courses.
Explore the High School Curriculum
Explore how our STEAM focus, block scheduling, and experiential arts prepare students to thrive in college and beyond.
COLLEGE READINESS AT SMWS
Of SMWS graduates attend and graduate from college, far above the U.S. National average.
Of surveyed alum complete their undergraduate study with honors.
Go on to Graduate School to earn master’s and PhDs.
Of surveyed alum not currently in school found their own businesses, more than double the national average.
Individualized College Counseling & Guidance
From standardizing test strategies to navigating financial aid and essay writing, our dedicated college guidance program provides personalized, one-on-one advising starting in 11th grade. We help every student identify and apply to institutions where they will thrive academically, socially, and personally.
Key Skills Developed
Self-Advocacy & Agency
Small class sizes and discussion-based main lessons teach students how to engage directly with teachers, ask thoughtful questions, and take ownership of their learning.
Complex Analytical Writing
Writing comprehensive daily main lesson books cultivates the research, synthesis, and long-form writing skills required for university coursework.
Creative Problem Solving
Integrating arts, sciences, and practical work prepares graduates to approach complex college-level problems with flexibility and original thought.
Learn more about our standardized testing support, counselor guidance timeline, and recent college acceptances on our College Prep Page.
High School Programs
Meet our Faculty
In our high school, learning thrives within a strong, connected community. Our subject-area teachers journey with students across all four years, building deep, trusting relationships that allow them to understand each student’s personal growth, strengths, and potential. Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all model, our faculty skillfully guides each class through curriculum designed for their exact stage of high school, fostering rich group discussion, shared discovery, and meaningful mentorship.
Living our Values
The Living Elements of Shining Mountain Waldorf High School
These three living elements we value address the interdependent pathways of growth, both academic and personal, to which both teacher and student devote themselves. As they move through high school, the student experiences these pathways as an ever-maturing being moving toward adulthood.
Hover over the rotating high school logo to learn more.
Discovery of Self
Along with a focus on strong academic and social competencies, Shining Mountain commits to working with the adolescent to foster the development of self-knowledge. Developing an understanding of one's relationship to risk, motivation, resilience, interdependent thinking and collaboration forms the foundational layer of the lifelong journey of "know thyself". We work toward developing, strengthening and synthesizing this undertaking throughout the four years.
Learning through Experience
At Shining Mountain, the commitment is in the doing. We ask our students to take an active role in their learning. They cultivate wonder, seek meaning, engage their will, and effectively communicate. Experiential learning brings the academic experience alive within the student which in turn awakens them to their place in the world.
Integration of the Arts
Fine, practical, and performing arts are central to a Shining Mountain education, yet the creative process goes beyond the arts as they are traditionally understood. When each discipline is approached as a creative endeavor, experiential knowledge is deepened through a revelation of the unseen, and the discovery of its intrinsic value. A creative interaction with the processes enriches learning, strengthens recall, and inspires original, and innovative work.
