December 2025 Update:

Pasadena Waldorf School has made significant progress this year in the wake of the Eaton Fire. In the months since the loss of our Mariposa campus, our faculty, staff, and community have worked with exceptional focus to stabilize operations, strengthen programs, and lay the groundwork for a strong future.

We successfully reestablished classrooms and student life at our temporary campuses, and are in the process of remediation and repair at our surviving Mendocino Campus in Altadena, and have cleared and prepared our Mariposa campus for an eventual rebuild, all while continuing to offer the full breadth of a Waldorf education. The PWS Board of Trustees has also advanced a long-term facilities planning process to chart the school’s path forward, including envisioning the rebuild of the Mariposa site. While the year has brought challenge, it has also revealed the resilience, commitment, and generosity that define PWS, allowing us to move ahead with both clarity and optimism.

The costs of temporary relocation, remediation, repair, and eventual rebuild at our Mariposa campus will far exceed insurance and FEMA support, so we are adjusting our Go Fund Me goal as we head into 2026. We are grateful for every donor who has supported PWS this year. If you know others in your networks, please share our story. We are committed to returning to Altadena, and need your support.

With gratitude,

Pasadena Waldorf School

Original Message, January 9, 2025

Pasadena Waldorf School in Altadena, California, lost its beautiful Paquita Lick Machris Campus in the Eaton Fire on January 7th. The community of PWS teachers, students, families, alumni, and friends are devastated by this loss. Every building has burned to the ground across what was a beautiful and peaceful 5-acre campus for our Kindergarten through Grade 8 programs.

We are grateful that so far, our nearby Mendocino St. Campus, where the preschool and high school are still standing, but it is going to take time, love, resources, and money to return to our special Waldorf program at the Mariposa St. Campus.

Your donation will directly support Pasadena Waldorf School, and as a 501(c)3 non-profit, your donation is tax-deductible.

This fundraiser has been created by the Development Office at Pasadena Waldorf School.