Children playing outside, shoveling dirt onto a large pile, with a wheelbarrow nearby, in a wooded area.
An orange leaf shape.

OUR

HISTORY

In 2024, we celebrated our 40th anniversary. After humble beginnings in a rented classroom, we’ve grown into one of the largest and best-ranked schools of our kind in the state. Below, you can read a timeline of our evolution and view photos from our long history as a school and community.

1984-85

A dashed blue line forming an S shape.

In 1984, a handful of parents, looking for an inspiring experience for their young children, came together to study Waldorf education. They started a preschool with ten children in a rented space in Shelburne’s Trinity Church. The following year, an experienced Waldorf teacher, Michele Starr, moved to Vermont and welcomed a class of 24 young children to the new Lake Champlain Waldorf School.

1989-92

Soon after, the school community worked to create a permanent home in Shelburne. A relationship was formed with the Nature Conservancy, and LCWS became one of the few institutions to which the Vermont Nature Conservancy has ever sold land. For the next ten years, the school continued to develop the 22-acre Turtle Lane Campus, building an Early Childhood building with four classrooms, a first through eighth grade school, gardens, playing fields, and woodland educational areas.

1997

Just a few years later, we graduated our first-ever eighth grade class. Growing interest in our school led to the expansion of our Early Childhood program, funded by our second Capital Campaign.

1999-2005

The Board of Trustees approved the opening of a new High School, which opened its doors at the old Creamery Building in Charlotte in 2001. Four years later, we graduated the school’s first senior class.

2012-17

In 2012, with the help of over $2.5 million raised by our community, the school purchased and renovated the former Morgan Horse Museum on Bostwick Road in Shelburne. The high school moved into the new building, which featured specialized facilities and room for expansion. Just a few years later, we earned accreditation from NEASC, AWSNA, and WECAN, providing a strong foundation on which to build.

Present

After a number of campus enrichment projects, including an amphitheater and sports court, LCWS is now the largest and highest-rated Pre-K–12 independent school in Vermont with over 230 students. 

Group of nine children and one adult outdoors in a wooded area, with one girl holding a sign that reads "Eighth Grade Mr. Warren."
A woman with dark hair, wearing a light-colored sweater and turtleneck, clasping her hands together in front of her chest, looking contemplative.
A classroom group photo of first-grade students and their teacher in a school, with a sign reading 'First Grade Mr Diehl' held by a student in the front row. The children are sitting and standing indoors, with large windows showing trees outside.
Group of school children and teachers outdoors on a large wooden structure, smiling and looking at the camera, with trees and a school building in the background.
Person operating a roller compactor on a newly paved asphalt surface in a rural outdoor setting with trees and a shed.
A building under construction with a distinctive rounded tower, snow on the ground, and trees in the background.
Group of young women wearing flower crowns outdoors on a sunny day, with trees and more people in the background.
A man smiling, wearing glasses and a red turtleneck, standing outdoors on grass, holding two black trash cans in each hand, with a wooded area with colorful fall foliage in the background.
Group of young women and one young man cutting a large birthday cake together at a party.
Group of young children and two adult women in a classroom, posing for a photo with a decorative backdrop and a rainbow painting on the wall.
A teenage student outdoors, wearing a black top hat decorated with pink and red flowers, sitting on a swing. He has a smile, and there are trees in the background.
A young woman rock climbing outdoors, wearing a helmet, blue jacket, black pants with pink stripes, sneakers, and safety harness, holding onto the rock face with a rope.
A man playing a large, colorful drum outdoors in a grassy area, with children in the background holding flags and dressed casually.
A young girl with blonde hair wearing a plaid shirt, red turtleneck, and suspenders, holding a stick in a brightly lit indoor space with windows and other people in the background.
Children and adults walking outdoors near a colorful building, trees in the background, and a wooden border along a dirt path.
Children playing in sand, digging and building holes at the beach or sandbox.
A group of people, including children, in a wooded outdoor setting, with some individuals appearing engaged in a discussion or storytelling, and one woman gesturing with her hand.
A young boy sitting on a hay bale in a wooded outdoor setting, holding a chicken. There is another chicken nearby, and a grey water container on the ground. The background consists of leafless trees and some evergreen trees.
A group of people celebrating, some holding flowers and certificates, outdoors on a sunny day with trees in the background.
Group of young people playing a game with plastic shovels and a white ball outdoors on a grassy field, surrounded by trees.
A young boy with red hair wearing a blue polo shirt and shorts holding a pink flower, standing outdoors near a garden with pink flowers and greenery, with buildings and an adult in the background.
Two children, dressed in winter outdoor clothing, rock climb on a forested trail, using ropes for safety.
A large group of people gathered outdoors in a grassy area, watching a performance or event, with some sitting on chairs or blankets and others standing. There are children and adults, and a building and trees are visible in the background.
Group of children rock climbing outdoors in a forested area, some wearing helmets and jackets, with climbing ropes.
Black and white photo of six people smiling and standing outdoors near a wooden building with windows.
Young boy in orange shirt and white shorts swinging on a rope swing at an outdoor gathering, surrounded by a seated and standing crowd of children and adults, some holding balloons.
A girl wearing a colorful winter hat and coat standing next to two horses, one of which is eating hay. The horses are harnessed and the scene is outdoors with trees in the background.
Two children looking out of a playhouse window, smiling and leaning on the windowsill.
Group of children and an adult gathered around a small brick outdoor fire pit in a backyard.
A group of people outdoors in a wooded area, some wearing summer clothes and hats, with a man in a blue shirt smiling at the camera in the foreground.
A young child in a red sweater sitting behind a large pile of pumpkins on green grass during the daytime.
Young child playing in deep snow, wearing red gloves, a winter hat, and a face covering
Two young boys playing recorders, with one boy wearing a top hat and face paint.
Children planting flowers and shrubs in a garden bed during a community gardening activity.
A man with curly dark hair, wearing a red shirt with a name tag, leaning out of a wooden window frame with chipping paint and looking to his left.
An man playing a fiddle outdoors with a young man holding an accordion next to him, in a wooded area.
Two boys engaging in a friendly wrestling match outdoors on a grassy field, with a few other children sitting in the background under cloudy skies.
Children and adults playing on a stone labyrinth outdoors with a purple building in the background and trees with autumn foliage.
People outdoors at a rustic setting with logs, trees, and vehicles, including a woman sawing wood, a young boy in a red shirt, and several others in the background.
A man with a beard and glasses, carrying wood, stands on a gravel path near a small wooden shed, with another man standing further back making a gesture with his hand. There are trees with autumn foliage in the background, and various tools and mater
Three construction workers in a room under renovation, with one in the foreground and two in the background, surrounded by construction equipment and debris.
A horse pulling a cart loaded with logs in a snowy forest.
A young girl with a laurel of leaves on her head, smiling and holding a small branch, standing next to a woman with curly hair wearing a purple jacket, at an outdoor event with a banner in the background.
Two people, a woman and a man, are in a brightly lit corridor with large windows. The woman is wearing glasses and holding a cup, while the man is looking at her. There are cleaning supplies and some construction materials in the corridor, suggesting
Young girl in white shorts and shirt jumping into a sandpit for a long jump event at an outdoor sports day.
Man in blue shirt holding a drawing in front of a tiny house on wheels, with another man standing on the porch reading from a paper, and a woman in the background near a car.
Construction workers installing insulation on a building foundation in a wooded area.
Children and adults gather outdoors near a dirt hill with a yellow excavator, trees in the background, seemingly during a community event or outdoor activity.
A boy with a mop of brown hair swinging on a wooden swing with rope seats in front of a crowd of onlookers and trees.
Construction site with a large, partially built building, ladders, and construction materials on uneven ground.
Construction workers and children working on a building site, with trees in the background.
A woman with shoulder-length dark hair and a striped shirt is kneeling on the grass outside, dismantling wooden chairs. There are overturned chairs, newspapers on the ground, and a red cloth or towel nearby. The background features a wooden fence and
Person carrying a shovel over their shoulder walking on a dirt surface with a child in a forested area in the background.
Group of people carrying logs in a forested outdoor area.
Construction site of a house with wooden framing and partial exterior walls, scaffolding, and building materials around, surrounded by trees and a garden with flowers.
Black and white photo of a man wearing a knitted hat and a dark sweater, standing outside a building with a window.
Children participating in a maypole dance at an outdoor gathering.
Black and white sign for the Lake Champlain Waldorf School, mounted on two wooden posts.
Children playing jump rope indoors in a bright room with large windows.
Group of children and adults in ski gear standing in a line on snowy mountain with ski equipment and safety netting
Three people in winter clothing with ski gear standing on a snowy mountain slope with a scenic view of snow-covered hills and valleys in the background.
Four children sitting on chairs, playing musical instruments, including a harp, violin, cello, and flute, in a room with plain walls.
Children participating in outdoor activities at a park or playground with trees and a colorful building in the background.