About Us

JRCS Vision

To foster confident, capable, and caring individuals.

JRCS Mission

The Juniper Ridge Community inspires children to cultivate a passion for lifelong learning. Our curriculum weaves together the arts, academics, and movement with reverence for the developing child.

The goal at Juniper Ridge Community School is to awaken children to the wonder and joy of learning through nature and the living arts, integrated with rich academic study. We recognize that these elements are essential to the development of the whole child—head, heart, and hands. Our school nurtures creativity, individuality, and independent thinking, allowing students to pursue educational excellence and enter their communities and the world with confidence, competence, and compassion.

Juniper Ridge Community School is a K–8 public charter school that engages students through a curriculum uniting art, science, and the humanities in practical, meaningful ways. Rooted in the Waldorf tradition, our approach offers the Grand Valley a unique educational experience that honors childhood and celebrates curiosity. A growing body of research supports the Waldorf model’s distinctive understanding of child development, showing that it helps all children—regardless of background—to achieve remarkable academic and personal success. Waldorf-inspired graduates love to learn, think deeply, and lead with purpose, continuing to seek knowledge long after their school years.

Although Waldorf education has flourished worldwide for nearly a century, it has often been accessible only through private, tuition-based schools. Juniper Ridge was founded on the belief that this outstanding educational model should be available to every child, regardless of financial means. This commitment to accessibility and equity lies at the heart of our school’s creation.

At Juniper Ridge, thoughtful, dedicated teachers and engaged, caring families come together to create a community of learning and belonging. Together, we inspire children to take part in their own education—cultivating compassion, curiosity, and respect for themselves, one another, and the natural world. Our students emerge as confident, self-reliant individuals who enrich their own lives, care for the earth, and contribute meaningfully to the broader, diverse world around them.