The Lifelong Influence of Waldorf Education

A 60-year survey of North American Waldorf graduates, tracking close to 550 participants from the first graduating class in 1943 through 2005, shows what happens to students long after they leave a Waldorf classroom. Graduates go on to work in medicine, law, science, engineering, computer technology, the arts, social sciences, government, and education at every level.

Survey of Waldorf Graduates

Academic pursuits

94% of Waldorf graduates attend post-secondary school, well above the U.S. average of 69.7%, and 88% graduate or are close to it. Their studies split fairly evenly between arts and humanities (47%) and sciences and math (42%).

Lifelong learning

91% of graduates say they practise and value lifelong learning. 93% highly value verbal expression, and 92% highly value critical thinking.

Character and relationships

94% describe themselves as self-reliant and highly value self-confidence. 96% highly value interpersonal relationships, and 90% highly value tolerance of other viewpoints.

Career satisfaction

89% of graduates report high satisfaction in their chosen occupation. Education is among the most common fields, at roughly one in seven graduates across the full sample. In interviews for the study, the professors who taught these graduates in college pointed to their independent thinking, ability to connect ideas across subjects, and strong communication skills.

Waldorf education aims for more than academic proficiency. Graduates carry this into how they think, work, and relate to other people, for decades after graduation.