Welcome to Daylesford Dharma School
Live to be kind. Learn to be wise.
Established in 2009, Daylesford Dharma School is Australia’s pioneering independent primary school that integrates the Australian Curriculum with Buddhist philosophy.
We are a not-for-profit institution that achieves a high level of academic learning that is embedded with practices of kindness, compassion, and mindfulness. This approach fosters a sense of shared belonging, crucial for early childhood development, helping children understand themselves and their place in the world.
Our students’ develop a strong foundation of self-awareness and compassion that enables a positive transition to secondary education with resilience and moral character.
We have a daily social emotional curriculum linked to the Australian Curriculum General Capabilities and a school culture where our core values are combined with our school rules as Five Precepts.
Our school deeply values a high level of academic learning supported by nature based learning and the creative. We ensure that the arts are integral in our holistic education approach, nurturing well-rounded, contented individuals ready to embrace life’s challenges.
Enroll now to secure your fully funded scholarship.
Where academic excellence and wellbeing go hand in hand.
We are offering 6 fully funded scholarships for new 2026 enrollments.
This has been made possible by the generosity of the Hsing Yun Education Foundation.
We offer:
- Evidence-based literacy and numeracy teaching
- Bush School & the Frogland project at Cornish Hill
- Violin ensemble & Chinese language program
- Mindfulness and meditation woven across the day
- A community where every child is seen, heard and belongs
The Five Precepts – Our School Values
At our school, values and rules are expressed in a genuine and non-punitive way to instill self-reflection and growth in our students and our community. We provide students with a vocabulary to describe how they are feeling and set behavioural expectations that enable self-reflection and growth. In this way, language guides the child’s social intelligence to understand what the experience of others might be as they develop their intrinsic wisdom and character. The Precepts are a useful lens through which students can develop their inner resources and examine their community, and our staff practice and uphold these values through daily meditation and mindfulness practices. Discover more here