Life after Waldorf Education: Success of Waldorf Graduates
August 12, 2024
Have you wondered how Waldorf students fare in life beyond high school and higher education? In two comprehensive surveys of Waldorf high school graduates between 1999-2017, conducted by the Research Institute for Waldorf Education (RIWE), nearly 2000 alumni responses from 40 Waldorf high schools across North America were analyzed.
The surveys suggest that “a majority of Waldorf graduates share many characteristics, of which three are predominant:
- Waldorf graduates value the opportunity to think for themselves and to translate their new ideas into practice. They both value and practice life-long learning and have a highly developed sense for aesthetics.
- Waldorf graduates value lasting human relationships—and they seek out opportunities to be of help to other people.
- Waldorf graduates sense they are guided by an inner moral compass that helps them navigate the trials and temptations of professional and private life. They carry high ethical principles into their chosen professions.”
Qualitative data showed that Waldorf students tend to cherish their educational experience because it taught them how to learn, and the majority of graduates described their Waldorf education as “most influential and important in developing their creative capacities, love of learning, self-expression, and exploration of different viewpoints.”
Interestingly, the results also revealed that many Waldorf graduates often re-evaluate elements of their education that as students they resisted or did not comprehend, such as eurythmy, and can now appreciate it for “providing grace and assistance in bodily integration”. Similarly, many Waldorf graduates expressed new appreciation for the restricting of media exposure (television, movies, gaming), and ranked off-line activities (such as hanging out with friends, reading books, being active artistically, and taking care of animals) as most important to them now.
Based on a composite profile of a recent Waldorf graduate:
- practically all (98%) attend college and 95% feel strongly prepared
- 90% are accepted to the top three colleges or universities of their choice
- 92% complete their initial degree and often choose to continue to graduate or professional training schools
- 73% see themselves as above average in their overall academic abilities
- 87% would recommend Waldorf education, and a majority would send their children to a Waldorf school
- Generally, graduates strongly feel that Waldorf education prepared them to be creative and innovative, be open-minded, empathize with others, and take leadership roles.
Click here to read the 2007 survey report, “Survey of Waldorf Graduates Phase II”
