Welcome to Education for Life (EFL)!
In Memoriam: Swami Kriyananda (also known as J. Donald Walters), founder of Education for Life, passed away on April 21 around 8am in Assisi, Italy. He was 86 years old. A few days before his passing he asked how many students were enrolled in EFL schools. In response to the number given, he said,
“Oh, there have to be MILLIONS!”
We have a big work to do.
The essential goal of Education for Life is to prepare students for finding purpose, fulfillment, and happiness in life. Key aspects of this approach include:
- Balanced programs that nurture the body, feelings, will, and intellect
- Personal attention, with low student-teacher ratios
- Student-centered curriculums building on each student’s interests, talents, and needs
- Experiential learning that helps young people discover real-life values that uplift and inspire
Education for Life is inspired by the work of Paramhansa Yogananda who first established a school based on these principles in India in 1917. The first American school was founded in 1972. Since then, the EFL network has grown to currently include elementary schools along the West Coast of the U.S. and in Europe, a residential high school in California, and a college in Oregon that also serves as our teacher training center.
In this website you can:
- Join an online support group for educators who uplift consciousness in their classrooms.
- Connect with parents who provide uplifting home environments for their children.
- Look at an overview of the EFL philosophy.
- Read the book Education for Life by our founder, J. Donald Walters.
- Purchase EFL products.
- Locate existing EFL schools.
- Find out what former students say about their EFL education.
- See how EFL students score on standardized tests and college admissions.
- Register for online, week-long, and year-long EFL training programs.
- Donate to a cause that uplifts the consciousness of young people around the planet.





