Spring River School: Waldorf-Inspired Homeschool Community

Welcome to Spring River

An Education for the Whole Child

Spring River offers flexible, Waldorf-inspired homeschool enrichment programs serving families from parent and child through Grade 12. We partner with families to support the intellectual, emotional, and practical development of children and adolescents through developmentally grounded learning, meaningful work, and strong community life.

Where We Learn

Spring River's administrative and academic home is located on Pine Street in Atlantic Beach, Florida, where our high school program is based and where administrative offices and classroom spaces are housed.

Outdoor and experiential learning are central to Spring River's identity. Our K-8 4-Day all-outdoor academic program engages students in daily field experiences at nearby parks and nature preserves, cultivating a strong relationship with nature, self, and community. On inclement weather days, students in the Four-Day program transition to a prepared indoor learning space at a partner church in Jacksonville Beach.

Our Grades 1-6 Two-Day homeschool enrichment program meets on private land in West Atlantic Beach, featuring outdoor pavilions and classroom seating to create a consistent outdoor learning environment. A nearby indoor space is available for appropriate use as needed.

In addition, Spring River offers K-8 Forest and Nature Enrichment programs that move throughout the year among local parks and preserves, providing immersive, place-based learning rooted in outdoor exploration, movement, and environmental awareness.

Across all locations and programs, students learn in environments shaped by respect, warmth, and steady rhythms that foster independence, resilience, and connection.

A Holistic Approach to Learning

Spring River serves the growing homeschool community of Northeast Florida with programs grounded in a whole-child understanding of human development. Inspired by Waldorf education, our approach integrates thoughtful, developmentally grounded learning with artistic expression, movement, nature connection, and meaningful work, meeting students where they are developmentally and supporting who they are becoming.

Families may choose full-time or part-time options and enter our programs at many points along the journey.

Thoughtful Program Design

Our program designs emphasize clarity, sustainability, and care for both students and educators:

Outdoor education, movement, and nature connection
Clearly defined full-time and part-time options
Integrated Student Support responsive to individual needs
Flexible scheduling that honors balance, family life, and teacher wellbeing
Dedicated planning time for all teachers, supporting strong instruction and reflective practice

These structures allow each program to flourish while remaining connected through shared values and pedagogy.

Parents remain the primary educators while drawing inspiration, structure, and community from Spring River's programs.

Affordability and Partnership

Spring River aligns tuition, salaries, and benefits with current financial realities and participates in state-supported programs, including the Step Up for Students Scholarship. We offer Direct Pay options across all programs to support accessibility and flexibility for families.

We are a partner in your homeschool journey, and a gathering place for learning across the lifespan, offering structure without limitation and community without constraint.

Where to Go Next

→Scroll down to review our Programs at a Glance
→Apply through our Admissions page
→Learn about our Philosophy of Learning
→Become a vendor at our Winter Market
→Visit our Employment page to learn about working at Spring River

A large group of high-school students and a teacher gathered together, sitting and standing along a low stone wall in front of woodland.

Programs at a Glance

During the school year, please contact us to schedule a tour of our classrooms and experience our unique educational experience.

Please email our Admissions team at enrollment@springriverschool.org for more information.

Enrollment for the 2026-27 school year is underway.

Head over to our Admissions Page to get the process going.

Learn more about our Philosophy of Learning. Get a feel for the rhythm of a Spring River student's day and explore how this education nurtures the social and emotional development of the whole child.

A group of children crouched together and smiling among tall green palmetto fronds in the woods.

K-8 · Mondays-Thursdays

4-Day All-Outdoor Academic Program

The all-outdoor K-8 Grades Program is held Monday through Thursday and is led by Waldorf-trained teachers with a supporting assistant. Class sizes will be no more than 18 students. Kindergarten will have a 2-day option. For detailed information on the curriculum, please visit the K-8 4-Day program pages on the website.

Learn More About Our 4-Day Program

1-5 · Mondays & Tuesdays

2-Day Homeschool Enrichment Program

This offering is a return to the roots of our first homeschool program. Our 2-day homeschool enrichment classes are offered on Mondays and Tuesdays. These classes are mixed-age classes with a developmentally appropriate main lesson in the morning and enrichment offerings in the afternoons. Classes meet in outdoor classrooms in West Atlantic Beach, with inclement weather space nearby. Class time is 9 am to 2 pm, starting after Labor Day, and finishing in early May.

Learn More About Our 2-Day Program

K-8

Forest School Nature Immersion and Enrichment Program

Our innovative Forest School offers nature immersion classes for K-5 on Wednesdays, Middle School on Thursdays, and K-8 on Fridays. Classes are split into three age groups: K-2 in one group, 3-5 in another, and middle school in a separate group. The Middle School offering includes Bushcraft and Primitive Skills. Class times are 9 am to 2 pm, and classes start after Labor Day.

Learn More About Forest School

9-12

High School Homeschool Program

Our High School program will enter its third year in 2026-27 and has relocated to the beach vibe of the second floor of 51 Pine Street, 5 blocks from the ocean in Atlantic Beach. High School offers a rich outdoor ecological and land stewardship component, meeting in Atlantic Beach. Families can curate their high school experience with full- and part-time offerings by following our morning academic track or choosing from various afternoon elective options that complement other homeschooling approaches.

Learn More About High School

Community Offerings

Parent-Child Programs

Our Parent & Child classes run year-round in seasonal sessions, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for children and caregivers alike. These sessions offer caregivers a space to connect, discuss child development and parenting, create crafts, enjoy a simple, healthy snack, and explore a Waldorf-inspired approach to home life.

We offer two tailored parent-child programs for our community:

Tide Pools

Tide Pools, guided by a WECAN (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America) trained early childhood teacher, meet in a community space in the beach area. No meetups are planned for 2026-27.

Peaceful Steps

Peaceful Steps is an entirely outdoor Forest Parent & Child Program led by an inspiring and innovative Lead Forest School Teacher from Spring River. These classes meet in 6-week sessions on Thursdays, 9:30 am to 12 pm.

Learn More About Parent Child Classes