High Mowing School

Founded in 1942, High Mowing School is an independent private, co-educational, day and boarding school, located in Wilton, New Hampshire, in the United States. High Mowing serves students in early childhood through grade 12. It is the oldest Waldorf high school in Canada or the United States and the only Waldorf boarding school in the United States. History Nestled in the Monadnock Region of southern New Hampshire, the school's campus was once the family home of its founder, Beulah Hepburn Emmet, a teacher who was displeased with the politics in the public school in Connecticut in which she taught. Both the school and its name are rooted in its hilltop farm location. Inspired by the writings and educational theories of Rudolf Steiner, Mrs. Emmet opened the school in 1942. It is the first Waldorf high school to have been founded in North America. Since that time, the casual comfort of the old farm site has welcomed teenagers from around the globe. Students experience the Waldorf curriculum, as they live and work in close proximity to their teachers and classmates. High Mowing is the only Waldorf high school on the continent to offer a boarding program as well as a day school. The name, "High Mowing", has its roots in New England's colonial past. The practice of cutting or mowing hayfields to feed farm animals was a long-standing tradition there. According to European custom, these hayfields were often called "mowings" by the early settlers. A "high mowing" referred to a hilltop field, regarded as a perfect name for a school with high ambitions for its students. It was also believed to be an ideal setting for young adults to grow intellectually, artistically and socially, while living and learning with students from the region and around the world. Pine Hill Waldorf School, an elementary school founded in 1972, merged with High Mowing School in 2017.