Considering possibility of Waldorf high school for my daughter. Last contact with their approach was when looking at preschools. Decided against it for a variety of reasons, but was torn between liking the connection to nature, lack of emphasis on technology, slower pace, nurturing atmosphere, simplicity, etc. vs. it all seeming kind of cultish, like they were trying to dictate what you did at home, people seemed remarkably homogeneous, and all the stuff about fairies and gnomes and not being allowed to use black crayons. It was almost more like a whole "lifestyle" and it seemed like an oddly large percentage of families got REALLY into it and next thing you know the parents were studying to become Waldorf teachers, etc. etc.

Looking again at the high school level and in a different geographic area I really like their focus on the whole student/person, certain elements of a "classical" well-rounded education, "social justice" element, spending a lot of time outdoors, doing crafty things like blacksmithing, hands-on learning especially in science, emphasis on being curious and asking questions, still less technology-oriented than some places. It also just seems really different than "traditional" public school, which my daughter really hasn't liked, so my thought is maybe this different approach would be more her style? But again, there is all sorts of stuff on the internet about how it is actually a cult and all the horrible experiences people have had and how founder Steiner was a racist anti-Semite. Waldorf people I have met don't seem that way, but I don't know any of them really well.

Anyone have any experience to share pro or con, especially beyond the preschool/elementary level?