Woodland Star Charter School was founded by parents and teachers desiring a tuition-free Waldorf education for children and families in the Sonoma Valley. Woodland Star began operations on July 1, 2000, as a school of the Twin Ridges Elementary School District, which then hosted five Waldorf-inspired charter schools in the North Bay. Initially located in a church on rural Broadway, the first year offered a single, play-based kindergarten of thirteen students, followed in year two by the addition of grades one through four. Additional grades were added in subsequent years, and Woodland Star grew and took root in the Valley.
Woodland Star’s motto was “Learning to Think, to Care, to Create.” Our founding principle was to become a community whose ethics were derived from the foundations of Waldorf education. We encouraged self-initiated striving for academic excellence, the enhancement of our community through service, and a strong will to improve life on earth. These values remain strongly held in our school today. Woodland Star is an example of loving community engagement, supporting excellence in our students. Our success is built upon the hard work and collaboration of our children, parents, teachers, administrative staff, donors, Woodland Star Educational Foundation, and the broader community.
In 2005, Woodland Star joined the Sonoma Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) as state charter #613. The following year, we moved to our current Arnold Drive campus, a collaborative effort with SVUSD. The expanded campus allowed the School to grow and do outreach into the neighborhoods, which brought greater diversity reflecting the broader valley population. In 2009, Woodland Star graduated their first eighth grade class. In 2021, we celebrated our 20th anniversary.
Today we are proud to be our own independent Local Education Area, offering one of the finest public Waldorf options in Sonoma County.
