When the bells ring for algebra class, most schools require students to crack open their textbooks and practice equations. But at Central Coast Waldorf School, the lesson can begin with an introduction to the history of the Arabic word “algebra.”
“They’ll pull in these different stories and this history and create this rich narrative behind what they’re going to be learning,” school Community Development and Engagement Coordinator Casey Farrell said. “From there, you’ve created this curiosity and this bigger picture for them to look at.”
It’s not just algebra. Most subjects and all students at Los Osos’ Central Coast Waldorf School get the holistic treatment. That’s how it’s been since the first Waldorf school opened in 1919 in Stuttgart, Germany, based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner.
Take a history lesson at Central Coast Waldorf about Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci. Students artistically journaled the recognition he received from patron Ludovico Sforza, complete with their own version of a perspective drawing—a technique popularized by da Vinci.
A botany class, according to Farrell, would start with taking the kids on a hike, finding a flower, sketching it, and understanding where it sits in the ecosystem as opposed to immediately dissecting a flower in the classroom.
“It’s this idea that you’re teaching the whole child,” she said. “It’s not that you need to spoon-feed all these facts to them. You’re helping them understand the world because they have the tools within them.”
The Los Osos private school is the only Waldorf-accredited one in San Luis Obispo County and received its certification from the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America this spring. Prior to that, the school was known for 17 years as the Wishing Well School under the guidance of founder Kim Wishon.
Central Coast Waldorf serves 115 students from all over the county, from preschool to eighth grade, with an average of 18 students per classroom.
Annual tuition rates for the 2025-26 school year costs $13,650 for first to eighth grades, $11,440 for mixed-age kindergarten, and between $10,120 and $5,940 for preschool. The school offers a 10 percent tuition discount for the first sibling, followed by a 15 percent discount for subsequent siblings. For more an admission overview or to schedule a school tour, visit centralcoastwaldorf.org.
Upon graduation, most students move on to high schools in local school districts. They often return to the Waldorf School as part of an alumni panel to answer questions from parents interested in enrolling their children.
“We find that they excel wherever they land because they have a willingness to learn and a curiosity to sort of expand and see what else is out there,” Farrell said. “Waldorf students, in general, have a 98 percent rate of going on to higher education as well.”
Farrell’s kids also attend the Waldorf School. Like their classmates, her kindergartener and third grader enjoy screen-free time on campus and also homework-free time when they’re done for the day.
“Homework isn’t really assigned until you get up into the older grades, like fourth or fifth grade. That gives kids the freedom to be kids when they come home,” Farrell said. “When they do start doing homework, it’s not something you necessarily would need a computer for. It’s a lot of just doing math with a calculator or going to the library because you’re doing a research project.”
Once Waldorf kids enter the seventh and eighth grades, teachers make them aware of being a “conscious person” on social media and on the internet, Farrell added.
There are only eight teachers at the Waldorf School, meaning they nurture relationships with their students over multiple grades and years.
For Farrell, Waldorf schoolteachers and other parents proved to be a source of comfort for the family when she was handling a personal medical crisis.
“I knew every time I was dropping [her older son] off that he’s in a consistent environment with a teacher that truly sees him and is texting me updates to let me know how he’s handling his day,” she said. “People are always looking out and checking in on one another, you know, helping out with rides to and from school. I feel like parents feel like they’ve truly found a village here.”
Fast fact
• SLO’s Mee Heng Low Noodle House won a $50,000 Backing Historic Small Restaurants grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express. The restaurant plans to use the funds to update the restaurant’s façade and balcony and fix its iconic neon sign. Δ
Reach Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal at brajagopal@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Aug 28 – Sep 7, 2025.
That is an old public school that has made little to no obivous improvements and is treated like a dog park/dump… They wanna get paid for that? Laughable. Let’s call it what it is; another attack on the middle class and poor. Everyone’s taxes pay for public school which absolutely needs to be provided for, everyone. Shameful activity in Los Osos imo :/
That is an old public school that has made little to no obvious improvements and is treated like a dog park/dump… They wanna get paid for that? Laughable. Let’s call it what it is; another attack on the middle class and poor. Everyones taxes paid for public school which absolutely needs to be provided for, everyone! Shameful activity in Los Osos imo :/
I think it’s important for other education options to be out there for children that don’t thrive in a public school setting, or for families that don’t feel comfortable with the extreme shift of screens in classrooms. Love that the central coast is supportive of options, and happy to see there is a great tuition aid program as this school welcomes any student who wants this style of education.
What a breath of fresh air! Los Osos is so incredibly lucky to have an asset like this not only attracting families of this caliber to this community, but to be churning out some incredibly well rounded, confident, and intelligent little humans that will be the future of our area. I have time and time again witnessed first hand the outstanding results of this school- it is no coincidence so many of the kids who have spent their foundational years here turn out the way they do.
For the record, Central Coast Waldorf School only rents a portion of the Sunnyside property, and does an amazing job keeping their portion up. And yes, you are right, the other parts of the property are neglected. The property is currently under public discussion of how the community would like to see it used in the future. For anyone that cares about keeping some open space (versus turning into another strip mall) and having amenities like a dog park, etc, its an important time to stay involved
@unusualsuspect