Letter from Meg Gardener, School Director

Meg Gardner, Interim School Director

Welcome to the Boulder Waldorf High School on the Shining Mountain campus.  Our high school is a dynamic space where creativity, exploration, and individuality flourish. As you step into our community, you will find a place where your unique voice matters, your ideas are heard and respected, and you will...

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Our Four Pillars

These fundamental principles guide our approach to education, ensuring a comprehensive and enriching learning experience for every student.

Experiential Learning

Hands-on learning, in and beyond the classroom, provides students with unforgettable, life-changing experiences.
Experiential Learning

SMWS Explore & Capstone Project

SMWS Explore is a four year, incremental, self-directed, mentor supported learning program. It is designed to provide students with the opportunity to explore and pursue individual interests in depth. The culmination of SMWS Explore is a capstone or passion project, followed by a semester-long fieldwork opportunity.
SMWS Explore & Capstone Project

Arts Integration

Fine, practical, and performing arts are central to a Shining Mountain education. All high schools are enrolled in arts classes throughout their high school career. In addition to art classes, artistic methods are embedded into core academic subjects. This approach enriches learning, strengthens recall, and inspires original, and innovative work.
Arts Integration

Global and Local Impact

Our curriculum challenges students to think critically, problem-solve, and take action for positive change.
Global and Local Impact

Stats at a Glance

98%
of all SMWS graduates surveyed attended and graduated college, far outreaching the U.S. national average
51%
of SMWS alum graduated from undergraduate school with honors
37%
go on to attend graduate school and obtain Masters and PhDs
35%
of SMWS alumni surveyed who are not in school are self-employed, over double the national average

Professors who have taught Waldorf students across many academic disciplines and across a wide range of campuses—from State Universities to Ivy League—note that Waldorf graduates have the ability to integrate thinking; to assimilate information as opposed to memorizing isolated facts; to be flexible, creative and willing to take intellectual risks; and are leaders with high ethical and moral standards who take initiative and are passionate to reach their goals. Waldorf graduates are highly sought after in higher education.

About our School

Shining Mountain High School classrooms are an energetic mix of academic depth, artistic integration, project learning, dialogue, and debate. 

Small class sizes and close teacher-student relationships provide an optimal learning environment where students are seen as individuals and are encouraged to explore their passions. Our goal is to enable students to become balanced, life-affirming, and compassionate individuals who have the skills and confidence needed to thrive and contribute in an unknowable and accelerating future.

Academic Philosophy

Throughout a student’s high school years, they will be exposed to a wide range of subject disciplines, activities, and experiences taught by academic specialists. The learning approach is designed to stretch each student’s thinking and to expand and inspire future academic and life choice

Curriculum Structure

Main Lesson

Our curriculum is structured into nine four-week blocks, each dedicated to a single subject—chemistry, math, language arts, history, and more. This focused approach gives students time to immerse deeply in each area, fostering critical thinking, academic rigor, and confidence. Main Lesson subjects include Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English, Social Studies, and History.

  • Duration:
    90 minutes
  • Frequency:
    Daily for 3-4 weeks per subject

Track Classes

Track classes are subjects that students study continuously throughout the year, alongside the main lesson blocks. These classes cover essential skills and knowledge areas that benefit from steady, long-term practice. The track class structure complements the intensive focus of block classes, ensuring a balanced educational experience where foundational skills are strengthened over time. Track subjects include English, Math, World Language, Art, Music and PE.

  • Duration:
    50 minutes
  • Frequency:
    4 times per week throughout the year

Tributary Classes

Tributary Classes complement the main curriculum, similar to how tributaries feed into a larger river. These specialized classes, often offered as electives, enrich students' learning experiences by introducing new perspectives or skills. Tributary classes can cover a range of topics—from robotics, marble sculpting, computing, to photo editing, or woodworking—and are designed to nurture intellectual, artistic, and practical capacities in students.

  • Duration:
    Varies - 45 to 95 minutes
  • Frequency:
    2-4 days a week for 4-16 weeks

Grading System

A Shining Mountain Diploma

Graduating with a Shining Mountain High School diploma means a student has surpassed college readiness standards, emerging with strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-awareness skills. They’ve pursued excellence within a nurturing and supportive learning community.

The GPA is computed cumulatively.  Grades are not weighted.  Due to the small size of our high school, SMWS does not assign rank to our students.

No Credit Received (NCR)

A required course that the student received no credit for.

Pass/Fail Received

Pass/Fail courses are designed to be student-centered. The passing standard is high, and students establish personal goals to excel.

Grade Minimum Score GPA Value
A 93 4.0
A- 90
B+ 87
B 83 3.0
B- 80
C+ 77
C 73 2.0
C- 70
D+ 67 0.0
D 63 1.0
D- 60

Explore the High School Curriculum

- Sarah Gillis, SMWS Class of 2012 and Sr. Space Operations Engineer at SpaceX

“I feel like one of the really important things that you get out of a Waldorf education is curiosity—curiosity to go and learn and explore what’s out there in the world. I fell into engineering and a path that I don’t think I would have anticipated, but having an arts background where you’re bringing creativity and imagination into problem-solving, there’s a really incredible synergy between those.”

- Sarah Gillis, SMWS Class of 2012 and Sr. Space Operations Engineer at SpaceX

9NEWS Covers Sarah Gillis’ Inspiring Visit to Shining Mountain Waldorf School