the New Village School

100 Ebbtide Avenue

Sausalito, CA 94965

29 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK, K-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by other on December 02, 2024

We are a family of recent New Village alumni. Both of our children graduated from New Village and are now in public high school. Our older son started in first grade, and our daughter started in kindergarten. We spent 10 years as part of the New Village family and our experience was excellent. There are so many things about the school that we valued. I will share one. One of my early memories is of my daughter in Kindergarten befriending a little Japanese girl, who spoke no English. Despite the language barrier, it was clear these little girls loved each other. At New Village, we found that love and connection transcended language - and there were many languages spoken at the school. The (Japanese-American) KG teacher spoke to all the kids in both English and Japanese (and she continues to do so today). In addition to being exposed to basic Japanese at an early age, both of my children learned Spanish and Arabic at New Village. They were regularly exposed to teachers and students from a diversity of cultures and in later years benefitted from trips to Mexico, Argentina, and Europe. My kids were aware from an early age that they were part of a global community and that the world outside was accessible. Part of the ethos of the school is a recognition that connecting to people in places different from your own can enrich your life in ways that have lasting impact. This was important to us as we are a bi-lingual, bi-cultural family. We also appreciated that there was a mix of San Francisco and Marin county families at the school. We live in San Francisco and relied often on the New Village shuttle to to take our kids to school. Drop offs occurred mornings in the Presidio and was seamless. We arranged carpool for after school pick ups. Both our kids have managed the transition to a large San Francisco public school high school. We feel that they are secure in who they are and that New Village provided a safe, supportive environment where they were able to get a sense of their own unique identities before having to navigate the complexities of high school. We continue to be impressed when we meet young adults who graduated from New Village. They have a maturity and curiosity about them that is noticeable. We remain grateful and fortunate to have found New Village and are pleased that we are still part of the community.
Submitted by parent on November 02, 2024

Top Reasons we love this school:1. No/low screen policy. Your children won’t be parked in front of a screen for hours at a time like some other schools. Instead, your children will draw, do hand crafts, build things in a workshop, perform in plays, sing, etc. You will be part of a community that wants to limit screens for our children.2.Classroom Without Walls. Once a week, each class spends a day exploring the outdoors. It may be a hike on Mount Tam, a day at the beach, visiting a museum, walking around the neighborhood, spending time on “The Land”, a spot in Novato (owned by the school) where there are animals, fruit trees, and lots of opportunities to grow and harvest from the land. 3.Creating citizens of the world. There is an intentional plan to broaden the childrens’ horizons outside of Marin. It starts with a local sleepover in 3rd grade, moves to a 4 night away at an Outdoors School in Shasta in 4th, a week in Joshua Tree in 5th, a trip to Mexico in 6th, another international trip in 7th (typically Europe), and possibly a trip to Patagonia in 8th. For the 7th grade trip, the children do their own fundraising for the trip. All of the trips are designed to encourage self sufficiency and exploration and well as experiencing local cultures and meeting with students abroad. With these experiences, they build confidence, character and a sense of their place in the world. In addition, many of the wonderful teachers there speak a second language and the students have lessons in Russian, Punjabi, Spanish and Japanese.4.Committed teachers and small class size. The teachers are so caring, committed and loving, and each offer so much depth to the lessons. They get to know the students over the years (the school goes from preschool to 8th grade). In addition, the class sizes are relatively small, which gives way for more intimate and individualized learning.5.School community. The children make friends across different grades and this community of engaged parents is unlike what I’ve seen in many other schools. The parents work to organize an all NVS family camping trip, transform the school into a magical space for Winter Faire, organize community get togethers and just like to hang out together and chat over Friday Coffee. This school is a very sweet and unique school. It’s Waldorf-inspired with a focus on nature, hands-on learning. We love it here.
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2024

I am so happy and grateful that we found New Village! There's a deep breath of relief within me when I think of the school and what it means to us. The sense of community and connection between parents, kids and teachers is palpable and nourishing. And the joy of seeing my child thrive both socially and academically. I absolutely recommend this wonderful school with all my heart. Since the classes are comparatively smaller I know that the teacher is able to be fully present with each child. Another aspect I appreciate is the wholesome way letters and numbers are introduced to the younger students. And of course the amount of time they get to be outdoors and not just any random park, but the kids get to explore the beauty and wilderness of the coast line and beyond.
Submitted by principal on October 23, 2024

I’ve worked at New Village School for 5 years and I am proud to be part of a community that truly values creativity, connection, & hands-on learning. Our unique approach blends experiential education with a nature-based, arts-imbued curriculum that inspires curiosity and critical thinking in students from preschool through 8th grade. We place a strong emphasis on nurturing the whole child—socially, emotionally, and academically—within a warm and supportive environment.Our students engage deeply with their learning through immersive projects, outdoor adventures, and a curriculum that evolves to meet the needs of a changing world. What sets us apart is our commitment to building human connections, fostering a sense of belonging, and cultivating a love for learning that extends far beyond the classroom. With small class sizes and a dedicated faculty, each child is seen, heard, and supported in their individual growth. We invite families seeking a thoughtful, holistic education to join our community.
Submitted by parent on June 24, 2024

The New Village School in Sausalito offers an outstanding Waldorf-inspired education that has been transformative for our two sons. The emphasis on outdoor learning, including the school's farm in Novato, fosters a deep appreciation for nature and sustainable living. Hands-on learning opportunities, such as woodworking, develop self-reliance, creativity, and problem-solving skills.The school's caring community and dedicated teachers create a nurturing environment where each child is seen and supported. Exciting travel opportunities, like our eldest son's trips to Mexico, Europe, and the upcoming Patagonia journey, provide invaluable cultural experiences and global perspectives.The New Village School educates the whole child - mind, body, and spirit - producing confident, compassionate, and well-rounded individuals. We feel fortunate to have found this exceptional school and highly recommend it to any family seeking a unique and enriching educational experience.
Submitted by parent on May 30, 2024

We have been with the New Village School now for four years. Our daughter started in kindergarten and is now on her way in to fourth grade. Being a part of the New Village community has been an incredible experience. Our daughter always is excited to go to school and because she feels safe, seen, and loved. We wholeheartedly agree with the screen-free ethos. As a result of following the practice of not allowing our kid to be locked on to screens all day, her creative mind has developed in ways we never thought imaginable. This is a special place. If you are considering Waldorf or Waldorf-inspired learning, I would HIGHLY recommend New Village School.
Submitted by parent on May 21, 2024

I'm a mom of two kids at the New Village School, who've been at the school since their first years of kindergarten and are now in 4th and 8th grade. My husband and I both attended public school in San Francisco for the majority of our education, and experienced our passion for learning diminishing over the years, a lot of pressure to do well academically (as measured by grades and test scores), and a strong pressure to conform. We wanted something different for our kids and we got it! The early years at New Village (kindergarten through second and third grade) are simply put: magical. The kids are surrounded by caring adults, a beautiful campus with fresh flowers in every room and a garden to tend, and a warm, nurturing environment. There is no busy work or worksheets for homework and instead a thoughtful curriculum designed to support their emotional development. The school is teacher run which can take some getting used to as there isn't one administrator or principal to whom all decisions are deferred. But communicating clearly and directly has always resolved any challenges or concerns that we have had. Besides the community of other parents (who are rad people!) perhaps my favorite aspect of this school is the idea that the world is your classroom. Beginning in first grade, each week the kids go off campus and explore the natural world around them. And starting in third grade they travel- at first just for one or two nights and gradually building up to three weeks of travel in 7th and 8th grade. Each travel experience has left my children transformed, becoming more sure of themselves, more confident of their abilities to navigate the world, and grateful for the life they have. The 7th grade trip in particular is so impactful because students fundraise as a class to earn enough to travel- truly transformative! I wholeheartedly recommend New Village and wish I could have been a student there!
Submitted by parent on May 18, 2024

Rather than look at the school I have always looked at the children there and from the first steps onto the campus I could see children with spirit. These kids were happy and they carried a sense of joy and steadfast confidence. Energy. I have seen my eldest daughter flourish there and blossom into a girl whom is smiling and laughing , singing and dancing. Do a campus tour and just study the children. That will yell you what you need to know.
Submitted by parent on May 17, 2024

The New Village school offers so many creative ways for the kids to learn. They offer so many life skills that are beneficial for them to be independent. I have a daughter who is in First grade and she already wants to pack her own suitcase when we got on vacation. She constantly asked me if she can watch me cook or help me cook because she does that school.
Submitted by parent on May 15, 2024

I am a father of two daughters who began school in Kindergarten at The New Village School, one who graduated in 2023 and is now a very successful student at Tam High School and another who will graduate on two years. I will never forget the peace of mind I experience on the first day they joined.The school has been a consistent anchor in our lives of kindness and inspiration. From day one the sense of belonging has always been present. The emphasis on developing social-emotional intelligence in a vibrant and diverse community has led to great self-awareness and sense of purpose in both my children. The outdoor components, travel, and age-appropriate engagement in contemporary themes combined with a rich hands-on experience has led to a rewarding outcome.The teachers at The New Village School are accessible, available, passionate, caring and kind. The parent community is inclusive and inviting, supportive and interesting. With a dedication to a screen-free childhood and small class sizes, individual attention and a curriculum based on developmental stages the academic results are persuasive. I highly recommend The New Village School for those interested in a child-centric school that raises children who want to learn, want to participate and want to take responsibility.
Submitted by parent on February 22, 2024

My child started kindergarten at the New Village School last August, and as an educator myself I have been very impressed with the experience. I chose the school to support my child in becoming more social after living through the experience of Covid. First of all, I've noticed a dramatic increase in my daughter's autonomy. She now asks me to help her select her clothes at night, and gets up before I do to get dressed and brush her teeth. I've also learned how to support her in becoming more autonomous, and have stopped carrying her back-pack and lunchbox (for the most part!). She knows how to peel vegetables, how to break eggs, she says hello to children and adults at school, and tells me that when she's older she will do everything in the house for me. Secondly, she has been exposed to a wide range of fascinating and rich experiences: learning Japanese, seeing puppet theater, making vegetable soup every week, listening to older children share their projects, singing a great variety of songs (I've learned many of them through her...)... Third, I have discovered a very supportive and friendly community. I've often felt overwhelmed with the challenges of parenting, and have found at the New Village School much help and assistance. I really cannot recommend the school more. It has changed my family's life. The New Village School not only teaches children academics, but it teaches them how to live. It makes life so much easier for parents to have a child who is happy, self-directed, and has learned how to entertain and take care of themselves.
Submitted by parent on February 07, 2024

Our son goes to Little Village - the preschool at New Village! What an incredibly special place. Teacher Robin and Lenny (and the entire staff) are so incredibly thoughtful and loving with each student. Our son is learning compassion, confidence, independence and imaginative play galore. He feels safe and taken care of. The parents are welcomed as well, into a beautiful supportive community of other like minded parents. It's a treasure!
Submitted by parent on February 03, 2024

The New Village School has transformed both our daughter's lives and ours as parents. It is an incredibly realized approach to education that is unique and hard to summarize; it educates the WHOLE child by weaving together countless subjects, experiences, travel, cultural perspectives, community, etc. into a rich tapestry of experience that allows a child to hold onto and express their unique sense of self and gifts in the world. There is a huge amount of love and heart at this school which is hard to find and hold in our current world. Children who graduate from New Village are well-rounded, globally-aware, activated, enthusiastic, and have an overall love for learning, doing, and being. This school is an absolute gift and a rare jewel.
Submitted by parent on December 16, 2023

Top Reasons we love this school:1. No screen policy. Your children won’t be parked in front of a screen for hours at a time like some other schools. Instead, your children will draw, do hand crafts, build things in a workshop, perform in plays, sing, etc. You will be part of a community that wants to limit screens for our children.2.Classroom Without Walls. Once a week, each class spends a day exploring the outdoors. It may be a hike on Mount Tam, a day at the beach, visiting a museum, walking around the neighborhood, spending time on “The Land”, a spot in Novato (owned by the school) where there are animals, fruit trees, and lots of opportunities to grow and harvest from the land. 3.Creating citizens of the world. There is an intentional plan to broaden the childrens’ horizons outside of Marin. It starts with a local sleepover in 3rd grade, moves to a 4 night away at an Outdoors School in Shasta in 4th, a week in Joshua Tree in 5th, a trip to Mexico in 6th, another international trip in 7th (typically Europe), and possibly a trip to Patagonia in 8th. For the 7th grade trip, the children do their own fundraising for the trip. All of the trips are designed to encourage self sufficiency and exploration and well as experiencing local cultures and meeting with students abroad. With these experiences, they build confidence, character and a sense of their place in the world. In addition, many of the wonderful teachers there speak a second language and the students have lessons in Russian, Punjabi, Spanish and Japanese.4.Committed teachers and small class size. The teachers are so caring, committed and loving, and each offer so much depth to the lessons. They get to know the students over the years (the school goes from preschool to 8th grade). In addition, the class sizes are relatively small, which gives way for more intimate and individualized learning.5.School community. The children make friends across different grades and this community of engaged parents is unlike what I’ve seen in many other schools. The parents work to organize an all NVS family camping trip, transform the school into a magical space for Winter Faire, organize community get togethers and just like to hang out together and chat over Friday Coffee. This school is a very sweet and unique school. It’s Waldof-inspired with a focus on nature, hands-on learning. We love it here.
Submitted by other on November 12, 2023

Our daughter attended The New Village School from 2nd Grade through 8th Grade. She went from 7 years at NVS to a public high school in a different state and had 5 months to get acclimated before Covid and lockdown. She had a strong enough sense of self and the ability to self-manage and proactively seek help and support when needed, all traits instilled during her time at NVS, to graduate with a her IB Diploma (including 5 HL classes) and a 4.3 GPA. She’s now thriving, studying abroad at her first-choice university, and committed to a career focused on helping others.While impressive, this is not the real point. Throughout our time at NVS we heard some of the same comments about academics as we see in some of the negative comments on this website. For some children and their families, this is true. There is not a singular focus on academic excellence. The thing is, there is no guarantee that every child will excel in every environment that focuses primarily on teaching reading, writing and arithmetic.What is central to the NVS philosophy and approach though is what you’ll be hard-pressed to find many other places: the intense focus on helping each child know themselves deeply, understand cellularly what it means to be part of a community, and actively support their development and understanding of themselves as global citizens. In a world that these young people will experience when they strike out on their own, with all the uncertainties and challenges and conflict and as yet unknown opportunities, this deep self-knowledge and the belief that they can figure out how to figure it out, for us trumped achieving a certain math grade on a standardized test. There was time to augment that knowledge, building on her NVS academic foundation and especially so with all the other skills she’d developed there. The other formative life experiences and character-building opportunities likely not—or at least not at such a critical stage of development of the self in relation to others and the world.This is ultimately a very personal choice, but for the right child / family, this village is a gift.
Submitted by other on December 02, 2022

A very nurturing school and wonderful staff. If you’re child loves the outdoors this is the school for him/her! If you want your child to do do well academically, this is not the school to be enrolled in! Especially if your child transfers out and goes to a main stream school as they will be behind in reading and math. Out of the 7 families that left to go to public school in southern Marin…all the kids are either a grade or two behind. I know a parent who brought up the weak academics and the school basically removed him from there mailing list which tells me the staff is very childish as they cannot take some criticism. As for mine own children I know they would be behind but didn’t realize how far behind. My boy is the oldest 1st grader and barely knows his ABC. He is so ashamed that he doesn’t know to read that I feel I let him down. My 4th grader when to NV for 4 years and is basically reading at 1st grade level. In summary the school staff is very loving and kind but from an academic perspective they failed my family miserably!
Submitted by parent on May 09, 2022

Our older son started at New Village School 3 years ago, and his younger brother joined him there this year. We've moved around a bit, and compared to every other schools we've seen, NVS is exceptional. The teachers discover and support the needs of each child. The parent community is supportive. Our boys feel safe and at home, and we get to watch them grow up to be honest, caring, and open citizens of the world.
Submitted by parent on February 14, 2022

Our children have attended The New Village School since Kindergarten and we could not be happier. The New Village School is a wonderful manifestation of the passion, creativity, and care of a special community of teachers, parents, and children. It’s simply a beautiful place for children to learn and grow. With mixed campus environments between outdoor and classroom settings, the children are able to see and understand concepts in real life. The broader community makes for a truly supportive village fostering childhood growth as well.
Submitted by parent on February 02, 2022

Both my daughters have been at New Village School since Kindergarten and are now in 7th and 4th grade. I’m not an expert in childhood education. I judge by the results I see on a daily basis and over the years. Children at New Village are confident, authentic, and expressive. They know how to ask questions, they can hold their own, are not afraid to speak out or speak up, and they can successfully navigate new situations on their own. If this was an individual then one could maybe credit parenting, genes or good luck, but not when it’s a whole class, year after year And into Highschool and beyond. These foundations are carefully build early on. They know who they are. They are present. They have perspective. Their curiosity is cultivated and encouraged. They spend much time learning in nature learning real life skills like compassionate communication, conflict resolution, teamwork. The teachers are authentic, respected, loved, cherished and supported by the parent body and children alike.The environment fosters the individual, models effective communication, recognizes the child’s uniqueness and where they are on their path of development.Children are seen for who they are, recognized for their potential, and for accepted in their humanness. They feel seen and heard. And they love going to school.
Submitted by parent on February 02, 2022

This school has a lot to offer in many ways and truly a gem in Sausalito. They value academic as well as making sure our kids are ready for the world emotionally. Experiential learning, emotional intelligence, exposure to other culture are core. I recommend anyone to at least inquire and or participate in an open house to understand the depth of the teaching and philosophy. I didn't plan to send my son to this school initially but was totally sold after one open house and have been so glad for the last 4 years.