The Grand Magnolia School vs. Richmond Waldorf School

Dr. Natalie N. Summerville founded The Grand Magnolia School after over 25 years as an educator to create a new kind of school experience.

Grand Magnolia is a private micro-school of just 8 children with 4:1 ratios.

Nestled in in the heart of the West End of Richmond, Virginia, Grand Magnolia takes an experiential approach to educational excellence.

Every day, we cultivate a nurturing and active learning home for children to flourish with ample outdoor time, hands-on exploration, and play.

RWS provides a learning environment that promotes independent thinking, cultivates creativity, builds confidence, and develops practical skills. Our proven, holistic approach to education lays the foundation for a life full of meaning and purpose.

We practice a developmental approach and strive to give children the right content in the right way at the right time. We use a curriculum and methodology that takes children`s emotional and intellectual development into account so that they are truly ready for whatever they learn and do.

From the circle games of the Kindergarten through the rigorous academic assignments of the upper elementary grades, learning is experiential, artistic, engaging.

We believe that questions are more important than answers and that all learning grows out of meaningful relationships.

In addition to a rigorous academic program, all students take Russian, Spanish, handwork and woodworking, violin/cello, chorus, movement, biking and organized games.