Education That Lasts a Lifetime
Developing intellectual depth, creativity, and purpose
At the Steiner School of Ann Arbor, we educate the whole child—head, heart, and hands—through a Preschool through Grade 12 arts-integrated curriculum that nurtures curiosity, critical thinking, and empathy within a warm, inclusive community.
Students grow into confident, self-aware individuals who think independently, act with purpose, and care deeply about the world.
Graduates leave with resilience, imagination, and a lifelong love of learning—prepared not only for college, but for meaningful, engaged lives.
“Experience, not information, is the key to emotional development.”
Learning through Experience
Students learn through hands-on experiences, social-emotional leadership, group work, and service learning to develop the skills needed for today’s world.
Waldorf Graduates Thrive
94%
Attend College
(U.S. average: 69.7%)
91%
Value Lifelong
Learning
92%
Value Critical
Thinking
96%
Value Interpersonal
Relationships
See how our values guide learning and community life firsthand.
Our History
On September 4, 1980, Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor opened to Grades 1-4 in a small three-room building on Packard Road, near historic Cobblestone Farm.
Guided by a team of dedicated founders, our school swiftly grew, moving to several larger campuses and adding a kindergarten and middle school in the years that followed. We purchased our current Newport Road campus in 1986 from Ann Arbor Public Schools.
In 1997, our high school opened on Packard Road, fulfilling our founders’ vision for a full preschool-12th grade program. We relocated to our current six-acre property on Pontiac Trail in 2002.
Today, RSSAA enrolls students in preschool through 12th grade, across two campuses in Ann Arbor.
Our Mission
At Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor, we nurture children in their growth from
Early Childhood through Grade 12.
Our curriculum engages the head, heart, and hands, inspiring curiosity, thinking, empathy, and initiative. Our graduates enter adulthood with confidence and self-knowledge, a deep interest in other people, and an understanding of the world; prepared to thrive in higher education and their adult lives.
Start a Conversation
We’re happy to answer your questions and help you explore whether our school is the right fit for your family.
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We recognize that children’s needs, interests, strengths and challenges evolve from their early childhood years through high school graduation. Our curriculum is consciously designed to best meet each developmental stage as children grow, providing the right experience at the appropriate time.
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We seek to work together in ways that increase the diversity of our school community and promote equity and inclusion for all community members regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, financial means, sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender, or disability status. This includes ensuring that we have a continually evolving curriculum that meets all our students. Learn more about our approach to DEI here.
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Relationships are what make our work possible – between students and teachers, among classmates, among faculty members, between all community members – and we consciously strive to foster and support healthy relationships in all areas of our community.
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Human beings are individuals with their own personal strengths, challenges, and interests. We seek to meet each community member with love and care, ensuring that there is flexibility and support in our classrooms, policies and practices, and community expectations.
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Children are best supported when there is partnership between home and school. We seek to provide parent support, education and engagement, and we ask that parents collaboratively work with teachers in the same way.
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Each community member is a whole human being: spirit, soul and body. Our faculty and staff members draw insight and inspiration from the work of Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy.
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Through our community life we respect and support the inner development and growth of our community members, sharing the celebration of festivals, athletic competition, artistic work and study.
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Through our curriculum, policies, employment agreements, community expectations and services beyond the classroom we strive to fully engage all community members and create a culture of purposeful activity and joy.
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Collaboration and shared responsibility are the foundations of our school governance and leadership model. We work with consensus within all governance groups. We are committed to a transparent and cooperative process for all significant decisions in the school.
Our Guiding Principles
About Waldorf Education
Founded in the early 20th century, Waldorf education is an experiential, creative, and academically rigorous approach.
It addresses each student holistically, considering their physical, social, and emotional well-being alongside their intellectual, cognitive, and spiritual development.
With Waldorf schools in over 80 countries, Waldorf is the largest and fastest-growing educational movement worldwide. Learn more about Waldorf education here.
100+ Years
of Waldorf Education
80 Countries
with Waldorf Schools
25,000+
Waldorf Students
in North America
Over 1,100
Waldorf Schools worldwide