1/24/2014

If you are thinking about sending your child here, do yourself a favor and ask about issues with discipline in the last year and how well the school is able to react to challenges. There has been a rash of bullying behavior and the school administration has been terribly slow at responding. Families have left as a result. The Waldorf method can be nice for the students but it seems to be an excuse for a lack of clear policies. The school had serious trouble for similar reasons about 5 years ago and it seems to be going through a crisis again. It just seems unstable compared to similar private schools in the [area]. We pulled our daughter out of the school after a year and a half, it was very difficult to make a transition, but better than staying in the environment at the school.

1/26/2014

Ditto on the below from Friday. There is a serious problem that goes even beyond physical and verbal bullying to the very disturbing. The school has shady practices and tends to silence people when they speak out.

3/10/2014

Ridiculous! They don't teach your kid anything to prepare for mainstream school. They charge a ton of money to have your kid play around and develop motor skills until age 9 or 10 before teaching them reading, writing, and math skills! You can't let your kid wear logos or any type of name brand media nor can you let your child watch any type of media even at home! They say they don't teach religion, but a picture of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus is in the classroom! That's an establishment of religion! Yet, they say all religions and cultures are welcome!

They charge you a very high non-refundable application fee as if you are applying for a college! They make you fill out a very thorough application before you can even find out if the school is the right fit for your child! After they accept your application, they set up an interview with you and the teacher to see if the school is right for you!

What really pissed me off is when the pre-school teacher handed me some essays on Waldorf philosophy on education and asked me if I know how to read English! Just because I don't look White doesn't mean I'm not educated!

Posted March 8, 2014

I am sooo thankful that my parents got me outta there when they did. I'll warn people looking into this school that the teachers put on a nice face for visitors and parents and then yell or talk down to the students. Now that I'm in public high school I see all the science and history that they left out. And don't let anyone tell you that religion doesn't show up in the classroom because it does! Quiet kids do okay and so there are plenty of nice reviews but it's pretty creepy with some of the teachers and I saw plenty of bullying going on that didn't ever seem to get noticed. All the art stuff doesn't make up for the meanness.

Posted January 26, 2014

The bullying mentioned below is indeed continuing, even though its been reported since the first day of this past school year and as a result families are leaving mid-year. —Submitted by a parent

Posted January 24, 2014

There has been a shocking degree of bullying behavior at the school this year, and the administration has been slow to deal with it. This has caused a major rift within the school and many families have been leaving. There is a real problem with communication and follow-through. —Submitted by a parent

Posted July 13, 2012

I am an advocate of Waldorf education and a trained Waldorf teacher. It is my opinion that the principles of Waldorf education are not present at [Waldorf School X]  I have two children who attended the [Waldorf School X] for a few years. The teachers are not well trained for classroom management and the children often felt fearful when any behavior issues came up. My son felt bullied both by students and teachers and every attempt to solve the issues failed. The educational environment was not conducive to learning. The "disappointments are too great to number." All and all it is not a healthy place for children. —Submitted by a parent

Posted June 5, 2012

Waldorf aims to surround children with three things: beauty, truth and love. After pouring my heart and soul for 6+ years at the school, both financially and as a very active volunteer, people ask why we left. With disappointments too many to number, I simply respond with "The school fell a little short on truth and love." My children never enjoyed [Waldorf School X] yet we believed so much in the Waldorf pedagogy, we stayed. Now that they are in places where they are cherished and treated with kindness and respect, they LOVE school and are thriving. —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 19, 2004

We did not have a good fit there. It might have been my daughter's teacher, but we found that if the child worked outside of their fairly specific norms, they became quite agitated. It's probably ok for kids that fit a specific mold. Just make sure your kid does before you go there. The school is fairly rigid and not always in touch with the 'real world'. —Submitted by a parent

I used to go there for middle school and everybody is hyper-Christian, judgmental and exclusive towards those who are not part of an established social circle there. —Submitted by a former student on Feb 25, 2012

J. M.

7/6/2011

This school almost permanently destroyed my life. If you ever have kids, it turns out that kids who are extremely intelligent often exhibit behaviors that are not normallly socially acceptable. PLEASE DO NOT SEND THEM TO [WALDORF SCHOOL X] AS PUNISHMENT. I love my parents, but this was the worst punishment they inflicted on me, for two full years. It was worse than public school OR religious school, and the facilities were tragic. I learned literally nothing, while my brain was starving for knowledge. This place made me act out much worse than I had in public school, because of how ridiculous their rules were — no spaghetti straps? You MUST go to gym when you are bleeding for the first time in your pathetic 13 years? (And no Health classes!!! Cause SEWING is more important!) After two years of terrible mental atrophy, forced foreign language classes (which as most [X] grads can tell you are pointless) and detentions, I finally convinced them to let me go to [a different school, which is a fantastic school where, instead of punishing individuality, they embrace and encourage it. And they LIKED that I was SMART!!! I thrived in that atmosphere and ended up graduating with a 3.9, and then graduating with a 3.6 at one of the top 25 public schools in the nation.

This school is NOT, I repeat, NOT for intelligent kids. If you want your kids to be home-schooled, but you have to work, maybe this is the place for you. But as a place to spend your formative years, I narrowly escaped being non-functional for the rest of my life — and though I am scarred, I can still contribute to the public opinion of this area.

Posted March 6, 2010

As for extracurrricular activites, as a parent I feel the necessary tools and subjects are not emphasize enough on preparing the children towards higher education (high school), such as Math, Reading, Science and American History instead ofso much Mid-Evil History. Too much emphasis focus on Nature. —Submitted by a parent

Posted on Sep 21, 2011

Our child attended [Waldorf School X] for three years. Preschool was a charming experience from start to finish. In Kindergarten, we started to have a lot of trouble. Our child started coming home with bruises and even a black eye. She was bullied on the play yard and the teacher did very little to address it. She told us that our child was tired and told our child to lay low and not run away from her attackers. I have spoken with numerous parents that had the very same problem. I am speaking out because although Waldorf has its numerous charms they need to enforce their anti-bulling policy and listen to parents' concerns. We have switched our child to a charter school and she has never been happier. If your child is at [Waldorf School X] and puts up a huge fight every morning when going to school, ask about bulling. I wish I'd known sooner and had not made my child endure a full year there. —Submitted by a parent

Posted on Apr 28, 2011

I moved my children from this school due to many issues with the administration. The Waldorf curriculum itself is very lovely, but this particular school is run very poorly. Poor personal behavior is hushed up and the school seems very involved with i's adult community needs at the expense of the children. This is said behind closed doors and privately, but in classic dysfunctional fashion, it is never addressed directly. I would not recommend this school. —Submitted by a parent

Posted November 6, 2012

There are many good things about [Waldorf School X], though regrettably, they are not enough to counterbalance the reality that the student body and faculty are overwhelmingly Caucasian, and students are overwhelmingly from affluent families. I can't see how students can emerge from nine years at [Waldorf School X] well-prepared for the world outside the cocoon of their campus, the world they will live in the rest of their lives.

Posted July 30, 2011

[Waldorf School X] will let you down. The administration seems to be more concerned with money and politics than what is best for the children. In my opinion pandering to families with deep pockets is a major problem. Especially if the children from those families are disruptive and/or violent. For 1,000 dollars a month I expect more. More support for classes with special needs children. Training so that teachers are better able to support them and their non-special needs students. Support so that teachers aren't spending their whole days trying to manage the behavior of two or three students. —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 20, 2011

I can't say enough wonderful things about the early childhood program at [Waldorf School X]. Amazing. Teachers are loving and wonderful with the children. The grades are another story. And while the school is still going through some growing pains, there are some definite concerns. [Waldorf School X] has some major flaws in it's media policy — there isn't one. And their bullying policy (and the way teachers deal with bullying — some not taking it seriously). Again, there isn't a policy for this that is actually enforced consistently by all teachers and staff. It has major flaws with treating situations with consistency as well. While some teachers are wonderful, there are some teachers that are just getting by. Some teachers engage a lot with their parents having monthly meetings, while other teachers only have a few meeting a year. Again, inconsistency. While [Waldorf School X] might seem full of fairies and gnomes from the outside — I'd do some real research into the class you join and really 'interview' the teacher. Talk with some other parents about bullying issues before you sign up! —Submitted by a parent

Posted on Oct 8, 2011

Although I agree that this school fosters a strong sense of community and student wellness and possesses teachers that are truly dedicated to their students, I would have to disagree that this school is nonsectarian. If you research Rudolf Steiner, who developed anthroposophy, and thus the Waldorf curriculum, he was an esoteric occultist. The teaching that infuses this school are based on anthroposophic ideals, which is part of the larger New Age movement. For example, the teachers follow the students through each grade because they are considered to be the child's spiritual guide as they continue on the path of reincarnation. Legends, fairy tales, and myths are no longer just symbols and allegory, but realities that are avenues for "spiritual advancement." Please, before enrolling your child in this school, if you belong to any religious denomination, particularly a Christian denomination, research Rudolf Steiner and what the Waldorf curriculum really is and then make an educated choice. —Submitted by a teacher

Posted January 12, 2013

This was a terrible place for my children. My son took a huge blow to his self-esteem in the short time he spent there. It truly was a disaster. They are not prepared to deal with learning difficulties at all. They accepted our son based on a very short interview and a quick look over his work from another Waldorf school. The person who interviewed us said his work was "advanced". Two short months into the school year and we were having major problems. After a total of 5 months we withdrew our son as he was suffering in class. He is doing much better now and we are considering the local public school after a short period of homeschooling. The community is not warm as they would like you to believe. We came from another school with a fantastic community, so we know what that's all about and [Waldorf School X] doesn't have it. My children's teachers didn't even know the name of their baby sister. The "mentor" program to welcome new families is a joke. These people were paid a lot of money to blow off our family when we became inconvenient. —Submitted by a parent

Posted April 19, 2007

Our son was enrolled — he is no longer attending because the school is not the arts-integrated curriculum we first saw upon enrollment. Please look into Anthroposophy and the teachings of Rudolf Steiner (who the school and curriculum is based upon) before you enroll. —Submitted by a parent

Posted April 13, 2006

Very strict on many lifestyle issues. Not the laidback atmosphere we thought it would be. —Submitted by a parent

Posted July 24, 2005

Do your 'due diligence' before going through the admissions process. Check out Waldorf education and Anthroposophy in depth before you decide this is the place for your child. We found that there is much more than meets the eye to this particular cirriculum. Do the research, it can be tough if you, as parents, do not believe in the Waldorf pedagogy. Ask for full disclosure. —Submitted by a parent

Posted July 7, 2013

Be VERY Cautious. [Waldorf School X] is suffering from terrible finances. It recently had to layoff an extraordinary teacher because they couldn't afford to pay her to teach the parent child class. Too bad. She was excellent. —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 22, 2013

Be very careful about the teachers at this school. After 8 years at the school my child got a terrible teacher that was not held accountable for his abusive behavior and incompetence. In theory this school is great but beware if you get a bad teacher and there are several. —Submitted by a parent

Posted July 17, 2012

This school has wonderful ideas and gives children the childhood they need and deserve to have, nurturing the imagination and giving them a strong foundation to learn without burning out. Unfortunately it is lacking leadership, organization and I believe parent participation. Tuition is comparable to other private schools [in the area] yet the facilities are old, neglected and dirty. If Waldorf could find leadership and balance their budget, update their school and playground, families [in the area] might consider Waldorf. This school should have a wait list just like other schools but because of lack of leadership and neglected facilities it is labeled a "hippy" school. I appreciated the wholesome approach this school offered but did not have the confidence in their leadership (or lack of) to keep my most precious child at this school. Other schools are beginning to embrace this type of learning yet doing it with leadership and organization. [Waldorf School X] needs to get their act together. —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 10, 2012

This school has steadily gone downhill with no leadership, poorly trained teachers, a lack of communication, inconsistent discipline, and is constantly changing policy from year to year. Not surprisingly, facilities are in need of repair and the school overall is poorly funded. Very limited enrichment programs and opportunities, particularly for children with challenges and those that are gifted. Anyone brave enough to ask questions is labeled and ostracized. Not a happy place these days. —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 4, 2012

There is no principal, all decisions are made by teachers. There is no way to track what my child had learned and how well. School felt unorganised and misleading. Would not recomend long term. —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 3, 2012

Would not recomend this school. Elementary teachers are not properly trained to handle communication with parents. School lacks in organization and it seem to have a lot of gossip. Unless you are willing to follow all their rules, which seems to be getting made up as they go alone, perhaps you are better off with any other school [in the region]. —Submitted by a parent

Posted Thursday, April 26, 2012

As soon as we mentioned other private schools to our teacher in Pre-K and having her submit the Progress Report to other schools — everything went upside-down. The attitude changed, the Report was not handled properly and was biased and full of her opinions and suggestions. Needless to say, when we questioned the protocol on the such reports written by Pre-K teacher to other schools — the answer was — she should have not written one! i.e. it only applies to grade school and not Pre-K, K level. We complained and were extremely upset. The outcome — THEY TOLD US TO LEAVE THE SCHOOL! Heartless, unorganized, biased, no core values. So, unless you are willing to kiss up and never object — stay away from this "school". The rule of this school is — The Teacher Is Always Right (even when she screwed up) —Submitted by a parent

Posted Thursday, April 26, 2012

Pre-K teacher is emotionaly unstable. Communication is a problem, does not know how to handle simple discipline. Calling parents in the middle of the day asking to pick up children because they threw rocks at each other. Unorganized school and I would not recomend to anyone. Many students are leaving to other private schools after Pre-K. —Submitted by a parent

Posted Thursday, April 26, 2012

Though our children enjoyed the school, my husband and I were not happy with a teacher. She was very strict and very opinionated. She did not allow our son to go to 1st grade; as per her opinion, he was not ready. Yet, he is in the 1 st grade now in a different school and is very capabable and ready to learn and progress. —Submitted by a parent

Posted December 28, 2009

The Waldorf curriculum was designed to end at 8th grade. [Waldorf School X] does very well in the lower grades, and starts to unravel at around the sixth grade. My kids went to this school from pre-k to eighth and sixth grades. Parents should ask hard questions of a variety of individuals, not just the teachers that form the governing body. Particularly, ask about how many kids go to college and how discipline is handled. If you question [Waldorf School X]'s deviation from established Walodorf pedagogy, you and your children will quickly be pushed from the fold. —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 8, 2004

Just as in other Waldorf Schools, the problem here is that no one wants to discipline problem children. —Submitted by a parent

Posted February 15, 2012

If you think this Waldorf School is like other successful Waldorf Schools, PLEASE THINK AGAIN. The grades are a GAMBLE depending on the TEACHER your child will have for 8 YEARS. There is little to no accountability for poor quality and inconsistent standards of education and behavior. The admin and faculty dogma is closely held in secrecy which is part and parcel to the Rudolf Steiner's teachings and if questioned you will receive patent answers with little thought to your child s specific needs. If you find a faculty member that is willing to listen without prejudice to your concerns, good luck. Even the faculty who are known amongst their colleagues for poor performance have job safety. Many families have left this school after investing many years in it because their concerns have been systematically swept under the rug. Mum's the word here. I for one fell under the spell of this school. I found that my child and the majority of classmates that stayed were left with such deficits in academics that intense interventions were needed for most. Our class started with 14 or more and ended with 4. Be aware of retention rates at this school. They differ among the faculty greatly. —Submitted by a parent

Posted February 2, 2012

There is no boss at a Waldorf School which means there is no one accountable. Faculty hold the position of authority and the members change yearly. Issues are continually deferred for lengthy amounts of times and conclusions are rarely met or shared. In the past several years the administration staff has changed every couple of years for a total of approximately six changes to the Administrator position, six to the Administration Assistant position and several more to the bookkeeper position. There has also been many staff hired and let go in positions such as Director of Admissions and Director of Outreach. In short there is little consistency in the Administration staff. Some faculty will cover their colleagues' backs at great lengths even when evidence of unacceptable behaviors are present or educational needs of the students are not being met.There is enormous amounts of indifference directed towards any parent who may question the Waldorf School or challenge them in any way. Children are not held in reverence here at the [Waldorf School X] as is the Rudolf Steiner teaching. In fact most issues are viewed as the child's and not the adults in charge. Take a good look. —Submitted by a parent

Posted February 7, 2005

My daughter has been attending [Waldorf School X] for five years, completing second grade. She's learned to knit, mold beeswax, sing odd songs, and has barely learned to read or write at the age of eight. This school's emphasis on political correctiveness and art has completely absorbed their ability to teach any fundamental aspect of early childhood learning. Though my daughter has always received good marks in class, she is very far behind the other children her age who go to other schools in every subject. There have been several cases of violence that have been dismissed by [Waldorf School X], and there seems to be a total lack of any form of discipline. I anxiously await the end of the school year when I can enroll her into a different school. Please save your child's education and put them into a different school system. —Submitted by a parent

If academics hold any importance to you, do not attend this school. Don't ask about how many children are in each class, but about how many have left. If you enroll your child here, be sure to find a good tutor to take the Waldorf journey with your child. —Submitted by a Parent on Jul 19, 2011

Absolutely agree with former reviewer. My child's class started with more than 14 students and by graduation only 4 were left. This is not the only class that dropped out. Do your research regarding this school. Philosophies are archaic and completely misunderstood by parents. There are no assessments to track your child's progress and it is almost impossible to find a tutor who can unravel the gaps your child will undoubtedly have when transferring to another school. Do not attend this school. There are few redeeming qualities once you get past the "oooh isn't this a nice place" feeling. —Submitted by a Parent on Feb 22, 2012

If academics hold any importance to you, do not attend this school. Don't ask about how many children are in each class, but about how many have left. If you enroll your child here, be sure to find a good tutor to take the Waldorf journey with your child. —Submitted by a Parent on Jul 19, 2011

Absolutely agree with former reviewer. My child's class started with more than 14 students and by graduation only 4 were left. This is not the only class that dropped out. Do your research regarding this school. Philosophies are archaic and completely misunderstood by parents. There are no assessments to track your child's progress and it is almost impossible to find a tutor who can unravel the gaps your child will undoubtedly have when transferring to another school. Do not attend this school. There are few redeeming qualities once you get past the "oooh isn't this a nice place" feeling. —Submitted by a Parent on Feb 22, 2012

Reviewed by Parent or Guardian on May 28, 2011

Before even considering this school, research anthrosophy and ask very specific questions about HOW much math is taught each day. Ask what history and science (very little actually) will be taught in lower grades and will the school accommodate an early reader (no they won't). And get tuition insurance, so if you are unhappy with the school and the lack of emphasis placed on academics you can get your tuition refunded. I am a former Waldorf parent. I have intimate knowledge with this school and its practices. There are other schools, better schools, pass by this woefully inadequate, albeit lovely pastel school.

Reviewed by Parent/Guardian on September 23, 2010

Absolutely awful - security concerns - they are just winging it. Ask them about graduates! Watch them squirm!

knitter

Jul 14, 2008

Okay for Kindergarten, but go elswhere after that. My daughter attended [Waldorf School X] for two years before starting first grade there. Their Kindergarten is for ages 3-6 and it's a gentle, playful atmosphere. The focus was on creative play, which was fine by me and my daughter loved it. She expected to love first grade too. After less than two months in Waldorf first grade, my outgoing, happy, very social and confident little girl turned into an anxious, worried child who no longer liked school, fell apart and started crying when she made mistakes and became afraid of meeting new children. I took her out and it was months before she was back to her old self. I felt her teacher's methods of working with the children were passive-aggressive and emphasized perfectionism. I also thought she was sometimes flat-out cruel to some of the kids. Because Waldorf is a teacher-run school, there isn't much you can do about it when you have a problem with the teacher. There was only one first grade, so [it] wasn't possible to tranfer classes. I'm not sure I'd have done that if I could have anyway, because I suspect this teacher was using accepted Waldorf methods for classroom management. Not that anyone there would tell you that. Ask a straight yes or no question of a Waldorf teacher and you get a ten minute answer about child development and Waldorf philosophy and later you realize your question was never actually answered. Despite how much my daughter loved her school and the friends she made there, we've never regretted taking her out. She's never expressed an interest in going back either.

DO NOT believe their website

by Libby365

As a parent with a child that was in grade 2 and 3 at [Waldorf School X], I can tell you this school constantly loses students once the parents realize their children are not receiving an education that will allow them to successfully matriculate to other schools. My child came in to [Waldorf School X] after attending kindergarten and first grade at a nationally recognized [state] school district. She was on target for math and above grade in reading. After a year and a half [at Waldorf], her math and reading skills declined. She didn't learn anything of real substance in history or science.

Waldorf is based on unproven ideas of a man, Ruldof Steiner, who didn't have children or an education in either early childhood education or child psychology. Steiner's decision to teach reading in second grade is based on children loosing baby teeth, not any concrete studies on child reading readiness.

Student evaluations is like reading an astrological chart, with statements like "not fully reincarnated in body", instead of useful evaluations on academic progress. You, as the parent, will never be told by [Waldorf School X] whether your child is doing well academically or not. There is no quantitative evaluation, no recording of grades.

The children do not have modern school aids (handouts, workbooks, worksheets). Instead, the students copy blackboards full of teacher-written narratives and a drawing that the students must copy. This comprises the "main lesson", which is usually a myth or from the bible, rather than real history or real science.

There are better private schools here in [the area] that have real certified teachers that will teach your child to read, write and a solid foundation and mastery of math.

Please do not send your child to this school.

[More from the same parent]

12/26/2011

[N]othing learned in the past 87 years in childhood education is used. Modern workbooks are not used. The student-created "workbooks" are simply the students copying down word for word what the teacher writes on the blackboard for main lesson which in lower school is either a legend, bible story or fantasy.

As far as [Waldorf School X] children returning to public schools... unless the parents homeschool them, they are far behind their peers in public schools. I spoke to the admissions director of the [Private School Y] about Waldorf kids. [Private School Y] is a private girls middle school that is talked about as a middle school at [Waldorf School X]. The director told me herself that Waldorf girls must be CAUGHT UP!! I don't know about you, but I expect my child's school to prepare her for the next grade or the next school. I took my daughter to Montessori and the initial testing was that she was 2 grades behind!! She was at grade level when she came to [Waldorf School X] in 2nd grade in math and above grade level in reading. A year and a half at [Waldorf School X] and Montissori said she was 2 GRADES BEHIND!!! Another child in her class that left after 3rd grade, after attending kindergarten thru 3rd grade at Waldorf was unable to read and spent half of 4th grade in remedial classes trying to get caught up.

Waldorf schools also try to tell you how to raise your child and run your household. They are staunchly against technology (but the teachers drive cars to school). They want you to get rid of your TV, computer and cd collection. The children cannot wear light-up shoes, clothes with cartoons or popular culture. Also, black is strongly frowned on. Can't wear it nor can the children color with it. Seriously, no black crayons!!! The lovely watercolor paintings you see on the walls aren't as lovely as you think when you find out that the teacher requires the children to paint the very same picture, the very same way. It's not so much as a technique lesson in painting as a Rudolf Steiner pedagogic anthroposophic thing. Speaking of Rudolf Steiner... blond-haired children are favored by Steiner anthros over dark-haired kids and white kids over non-white kids. This is totally outright true, even though the school will probably vehemently deny it. A little digging on Steiner, anthroposophy and race will reveal the truth.

Finally... in selecting a school for your child, look for a school that is accredited by other bodies than themselves, make sure the teachers attended universities or colleges that are accredited by other bodies than themselves and have state certification. If there is no headmaster or principal...look for another school. The teachers are in charge at Waldorf schools and if the parents have any problems or concerns, they are generally ignored.

Waldorf is not a cheap school, the tuition is in line with other extremely excellent private schools like [Private School Z], however the education that your child will receive at Waldorf will be worse than the worst public school. If you have $10k to spend on a private education, please look somewhere else. The academic and psychological harm is simply not worth the pretty pastel walls, or all the beeswax or knitcrafts in the world.

Our experience with this school was terrible; our child's teacher told students that they weren't smart, left children unaccompanied outside ... just awful. —Submitted by a Parent on Mar 15, 2010

Not accredited... hires untrained, uncertified teachers —Anonymous

March 16, 2011

This school IS NOT an alternative to area public or private schools. [Waldorf School X] doesn't provide textbooks to lower grades, does not test and doesn't equip the child academically to matriculate successfully to another school at the next grade. What usually happens is the child must either be homeschooled for a year or repeat the year. [Waldorf School X] is not accredited, nor is it required by [X] state regulations to provide trained, certified teachers. Probably an ok school for preschoolers, though. If your child is learning disabled, there are other schools with teachers trained in special education that will provide your child with a better education.

Posted December 13, 2011

We had a terrible experience with this school once my child entered the "grades." If it's so wonderful, why do so few students stay through eighth grade? —Submitted by a parent

Posted August 28, 2007

The website states that they teach the whole child. However, in my experience, they are not taught the basics enough to transfer at grade level to another school. —Submitted by a parent

Posted June 7, 2013

I was shocked to discover that not all the teachers have a teaching degree. Can you imagine? I know people can be very intelligent without a college degree but when it comes to teaching I really expect a certain level of college education. Especially when I am being asked to pay thousands of dollars each year in tuition. I also noted a morale problem among the employees, issues with the early education department, and rumblings about the head of school's leadership and human resources abilities. Some people are certainly very qualified and the philosophy [is] great if everyone were operating by it. I hope it can find the right leadership to bring everyone together in an organized fashion to truly live the philosophy they use to get people to sign a contract. Some of the administration do not act in a manner consistent with the marketing. They are just too divided and it can be noticed by anyone spending even a little time on the campuses. Recently they seem to have lost key employees for various reasons and the turnover is alarming. This is a sign that things at the top are not running correctly. The board should take notice and the teachers should take back some control.

Posted October 14, 2011

I believe in Rudolf Steiner's ideas about childhood and education, but this school has a "one size fits all" approach to learning — all children are expected to conform to it and the Waldorf pedagogy is the only one relied upon to address issues. Our child was there for two years and we found the atmosphere to be strict, extremely rule-oriented, and much too teacher-centered, leaving the children little or no freedom for self-discovery, self-discipline, and creative expression. There are some happy, confident, experienced teachers at the school, and you are fortunate if your child has one of them for 8 years. In our experience, Waldorf philosophy did not translate into joyful learning and positive child development. —Submitted by a parent

Posted October 9, 2011

My children attended this school for several years and there were many things we loved about it. Waldorf education can be a wonderful thing, and was in the school that my children attended in another state before moving here. What eventually drove us away, however, was the school's inability to resolve conflict and deal with issues as they arise. In two of the three we were a part of, there were numerous families that had relatively small problems arise (learning disabilities, minor conflicts with teachers or other students, etc). We watched all of these families, some of them close friends, as they tried to navigate through these issues using the "process" set down by the school which includes various levels of administration, teachers, board, etc. Most of these issues were never resolved, and many of the families pulled their children out of the school. The ones that stayed were so resentful that it created a constant atmosphere of tension and conflict in the two classes. Eventually, we felt our children were being negatively affected by all of the conflict, friends leaving and overall instability of the school so we decided to find another school. —Submitted by a parent

Posted August 2, 2011

My child spent one year recently at the [Waldorf School X]. In my opinion, the worst part was the oppressively strict environment. For example, children were not allowed to talk to friends in class or leave their seats without the teacher's permission, and were sent to stand in the hall as punishment. After spending one day observing in my child's class, I felt like I was suffocating. The school offers one rigid approach to teaching. If it doesn't happen to fit a child's learning style, the teachers astonishingly label the child as having learning and/or behavior problems, and blame is placed on the child and/or the parents. There is much good about Waldorf education, but this school seems to be unaware of 21st century research on brain development, and how to incorporate innovative, diverse and effective teaching methods into the Waldorf philosophy. If you visit the school, I urge you to look beyond an idealistic vision of what a Waldorf school could be, and see if the children in the classrooms appear to be lively, active learners, or quiet, obedient students. There is an important difference between the two that I think [Waldorf School X] does not fully recognize. —Submitted by a parent

Posted June 7, 2011

We sent our first grader here after a difficult experience in the public schools. We were given promises that they would individualize his need for advanced math and his difficulties with reading. Instead when he did not respond well to "one size fits all" teaching, they labeled him a behavior problem and told us how we were failing him as parents. We were given advice on everything from sleep to diet to clothing to our visitation schedule (we are divorced). They told us often our child had a "dark side". When he was diagnosed as dyslexic and gifted, we brought in educational experts to help the teacher meet his needs. She was hostile and completely uninterested in adopting any plan we might suggest. She told us we should "trust" her plan and then simply began sending him home every day when he became too frustrated to function. Our child came home with bruises and scratches, and we were told it was healthy "rough play". However when a classmate complained our child was "too rough" he was labeled "aggressive". I would not recommend anyone with a child "outside the norm" choose Steiner. They are completely unprepared to handle it, and are likely to pathologize the child. —Submitted by a parent

Posted February 26, 2011

[Waldorf School X] High School is a failing experiment in an alternative liberal education enterprise. Teachers are over-educated, overpaid and more concerned with protecting their egos, reputations, and salaries than instructing students. Another website lists enrollment at only 54 students. Less than four years ago, there were well over 100. By Waldorf philosophy, teachers dominate the organization. Teachers can and have overridden repeated parental concerns and proactive administrative policies. As a direct result, administrative staff has had an excessive turnover rate to the detriment of students and parents. SUMMARY: RUN, DON'T WALK TO OTHER HIGH SCHOOLS in the...area.  —Submitted by a parent

Posted April 9, 2010

We enjoyed our years at this school, but not without reservations. Because there is no principal, the administrative aspects of the school are entirely disorganized. Should you experience a real problem, it is very difficult to know just whom to address. The parent community is great, though. Very warm and intelligent. Looking forward, however, the college acceptances list in the upper school is pretty darn awful. —Submitted by a parent

Steiner [education] looks good much better than it is, although it may have something to offer to completely art-oriented students, whose parents are not particularly concerned about their intellectual development. Although some parents are quite active in the school, it seemed to me that they won their positions by being very conformist. A frequent comment made to me by parents was that they were surprised that Steiner did not foster or support much intergenerational activity with the class and parents. Parents were welcomed of course in the minimum of spectator-type activities — viewing a science fair or a play, also in lending their talents to making these productions look better through working on costumes or scenery. "Class representatives" to the Parents Association....are picked by the respective class teachers. Kind of like having union leaders picked by the employers! Being with the same small group of kids year after year could be good for some kids, but it produces a tight bond that becomes a bit dysfunctional. For some robust, politically-oriented, artistic, or busy families who don't want to be involved at all, it may be appropriate. Since you will have the same teacher for more than one yea, rapport is absolutely critical. — V

Steiner school parent, April 24, 2012:

Our child is a former pupil of the [Steiner School X] kindergarten. Our story is not unique, and from what I have read, I would say it is actually quite common.

Steiner seemed to be the perfect antidote to all our misgivings about mainstream education. We fell in love with the kindergarten and its open and unbiased ethos for developing confidence, creativity, compassion and intellect. Our hopes that the [Steiner School X] free school [i.e., charter school] would be open by the time our child finished kindergarten also gave us hopes of a continuous Steiner education with glowing qualifications by the end of it.

We attended open days and festivals, had personal meetings with the staff, went to Parent and Toddler groups, then enrolled in the kindergarten. We became involved in volunteering, fundraising and support of the proposed [Steiner free school]. There was never any mention of anthroposophy at any stage, and as we weren't even aware of it we never even knew to ask about it.

After a few successful terms at kindergarten, we stumbled onto some online information about anthroposophy, and how it permeates every fibre of Steiner schooling. Although it came as a real shock to us, it certainly explained a few things. Everything in fact, and so obvious was the explanation that we actually felt foolish for not suspecting anything sooner.

We continued with an enormous amount of research, reading just about everything we could find on the subject, from `official' sources and philosophical teachings to independent accounts, and those of pupils/parents/teachers with firsthand experience. We found out about the practices, their explanations, and significantly, their purpose.

When seeing things in this different light, the picture became startlingly clear. Nothing that we encountered within the kindergarten was incidental or accidental or done on a whim or against the book – small things that seemed to bear no significance suddenly made perfect sense – every detail of the experience had been designed and executed to open the senses and heighten the effectiveness of the anthroposophy influence. Even Steiner's delayed literacy practice – the same as the admired European academic model – or so we thought – turned out to have very different motives altogether.

Reinterpreting some advice we had been given for the home (in the interest of our child's creative development), seemed to suggest other agendas, and relationships that we were encouraged to build within the Steiner community hinted at strategic manoeuvres to make or break inter-group factions.

Re-reading the literature we received in the beginning, with the benefit of hindsight, was a fascinating exercise – it contained nothing which could alert even the sharpest of senses to anything outlandish, and yet information about the school's actual agenda was really there, hidden in euphemisms and between the lines.

We likened the whole experience to a vegetarian discovering that what they had been told was soya, was actually meat all along.

We desperately wanted to speak out, but we didn't know which parents were aware, and which weren't. Caught between inciting a witch-hunt on one side and breaking other families' dreams on the other, we felt completely paralysed. Needless to say, an overwhelming sense of isolation and distrust swallowed us up, and to get out was the only way we felt we could go. It was heartbreaking to resign from our warm and loving extended family, and although we aimed a good deal of blame at ourselves, the feeling of betrayal and manipulation by some of our most trusted family members was too much to stomach.

We consider ourselves to be broad-minded and spiritually open people, and ironically, discovery of the anthroposophical teachings themselves weren't actually the main problem for us – the issue was the concealment, the deception, and mostly, the conditioning of our child in ways which we had neither knowledge of, nor consented to. Whatever the area, whatever the outcome, this is entirely irresponsible and unacceptable, and it was for this reason above all that we had to withdraw.

A few years ago my partner and I were the victims of a long-standing deception, at the hands of someone very close and trusted. It devastated our lives emotionally and financially, and the post-traumatic effects still haunt us almost daily. The series of events and the shock, disbelief, humiliation, betrayal, dismay and anger we have felt in our experience with Steiner were remarkably similar.

Had we read a comment such as Jan Rush's puzzling `"No Steiner values" claim before our 'discovery', we would have been deeply concerned that the school we were investing in wasn't being based on the principles we wanted. 'Post-discovery', it is just as upsetting to read, and although it is now no surprise, it is still a great disappointment to see that a newly proposed place of learning in [the town], however competent the education turns out to be, will be built on a foundation of deception, manipulation, remorselessness and dangerous means of self-preservation. There should simply be no place for these in education.

Coming back to the meat analogy, it wouldn't be possible these days for food producers to trade under such clandestine and deceptive methods, and food standards agencies enforce their legislation to give protection from potential abusers. The same can be said for all industries – tobacco, alcohol, healthcare, motoring, travel, leisure, cosmetics, consumer goods, financial, property, civil service and, tellingly, mainstream education.

It is imperative now that the very highest education authorities intervene here, and under no uncertain terms ensure that all Steiner establishments publish full and precise disclosure of their beliefs and intentions. It is paramount that the uninformed and unsuspecting are given protection. Personally, we count ourselves among the lucky ones. The number of victims this cover-up has claimed over the past 90-odd years of Steiner schooling doesn't bear thinking about, but in these times of the nanny state, litigation, think tanks and watch dogs, it is almost inconceivable that this problem can still exist.

05/14/2012

The pros: a lovely, holistic, arts-based education that integrates intellectual, emotional, social, physical, and artistic skills. The cons: an extremely dogmatic approach to education (if Rudolf Steiner didn't say it nearly a century ago, they won't do it now) that effectively ignores the needs of academically and intellectually gifted children. While our children loved the arts education, handwork, and ample movement time, they complained of boredom academically and felt a palpable lack of recognition/validation from their teachers. Teachers also have absolute authority here, and almost no student input/autonomy is allowed. The curriculum is inflexible, and students get little opportunity to explore ideas or facts that are not explicitly detailed by the teacher. (Those lovely hand-written textbooks each child writes are full of text and drawings that mimic the teacher's work almost verbatim.) The lack of clear authority in the school can also be a problem (the school is governed not by a single director, but by a College of Teachers). The buck, apparently, stops nowhere. You may also want to reconsider if you don't agree with Anthroposophy, the spiritual beliefs that lie firmly behind the Waldorf Education. Essentially, Waldorf child development theory is dedicated to helping your child re-incarnate from his/her spiritual body into his earthly existence. (Early reading and intellectual focus is thought to interfere with this process, so is actively discouraged.) This school is therefore a good fit for students (and parents) who don't ask too many questions about the pedagogy. 

09/18/2008

I had great hopes at Waldorf for our two children. Unfortunately, while I think the pedagogy is to be admired (lots of hands-on art, music, nature), etc., theory and practice often differ. It's a lovely idea to have the same teacher through all grades, but my experience is that the teachers were not qualified to teach some of the more rigorous courses at the 6th, 7th & 8th grades such as physics, anatomy, upper-level mathematics, and writing. In fact, teachers that were not Steiner-trained filled in. I also found the lack of supervision on the grounds and on trips (including foreign trips) to be very disturbing. The woods are not as benign as one would imagine — as one student who fell through the ice into the river one year would know. When we were there, students were allowed to run willy nilly and teachers were not aware when conflicts and bullying occurred. And, as a minor irritation, I did find a certain amount of hypocrisy. I had maintained a TV-free household and looked forward delaying the exposure of some information to my children. I got the impression that as long as one paid the hefty tuition, no one would comment on what families let their children view or listen to, or how they repeated it at school. Additionally, there is (to me) a club mentality. If you can afford to devote extra time to the school (because both parents don't need to work or have very flexibile schedules) then you definitely earn "brownie points" for yourself and your children from the community leaders. I very much approve of the Steiner methods of teaching (even as I disagree w/ anthroposophy), but I felt the [Waldorf School X] was imbued w/ varying agendas other than education and community-building.

Posted January 6, 2014

The curriculum lacks academic rigor. The school doesn't even teach advanced mathematical concepts. The science curriculum is minimal. Most of the teaching is based on "hands-on experience" and at many times seems similar to a vocational institution, not a college preparatory program. For high schools in the area I recommend [other nearby schools]. —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 10, 2013

The school is academically subpar compared to many institutions in the region. The school has essentially no math program until high school (at which point it is minimal). There is little homework which instills a terrible work ethic amongst the children. This school shouldn't even be considered a preparatory school. It is an alternative school. Much of the curriculum revolves around "handwork, eurythmy, acting, and music". The math and science teachers are generally under-qualified. Most of the public schools in [the county] are more rigorous and will prepare students for college.

Posted February 12, 2013 

The kindergarten years went well for our children, the teachers were wise and skilled and good at communication, but the grade school experience was disastrous at best, lots of bullying and shaming the children. Some of the teachers are really dysfunctional others have their backs turned to name-calling, punches and hair-pulling. One of [our] children's classes was in constant chaos and the school completely denied it and did nothing to make it better. The teachers seem to be overworked and underpaid. Most of the children need tutoring. Many families left. The school put up a brick wall of defensiveness and blamed the children. Lots of blame and put-down of children. There was a great deal of bullying and teachers just allowed it. Complaints were met with a sort of Waldorf-ese special language and a "we don't do it that way." Or families were asked to leave the school. No dialogue whatsoever. Hard to imagine, I know, we were so disappointed, we expected just the opposite and had been so drawn to the school for its beauty and seeming gentleness. I have since learned that many other families had similar problems with this school over the years. No leadership and no accountability. —Submitted by a parent

Posted August 22, 2012

Our family found this school to be unprofessional with poor leadership. This school can be a great experience if you have a great classroom teacher and there are some really great teachers at this school. However, there is no administrative or principal to provide leadership; this leaves little recourse if your child has a mediocre teacher. The school is excellent at training children in the arts. Be prepared to provide supplemental tutoring for reading and math. The school handbook even states that extra tutoring is the responsibility of the parents. There is only one way of learning and that is the Waldorf way. Many of the staff do not believe in ADHD and fault poor parenting with not enough "rhythm" or structure in the home life. Early exposure to music, music theory, and watercolor is fantastic. Our child was frustrated by the numerous gnome stories and wanted real-world learning opportunities. If you do not play the Waldorf Way you are not asked to Stay. Think very carefully with your mind and feel very carefully with your heart before enrolling your child here. Our family was attracted to the spiritual aspect of the school, and in the end found it dogmatic and limiting. —Submitted by a parent

Posted March 16, 2012

The administration here is not very nice. I was not impressed and will not send my children here.

Posted June 29, 2011

I went to this school from 1st-8th grade. I switched from there to go to a public high school. Let me tell you why. When I reached the 7th grade I started feeling like I was falling behind the public schoolers academically. So I took some test and yes, in fact I was behind. The teachers do not teach math very well, they never stress how important it is to do your homework. They give you NO preparation for college or even high school. Once I switched it was hard to adapt because I didn't have the work ethics, study habits, or ideas that homework needed to be done. Other Facts: There is not enough funding for a tech department meaning no technical oriented classes such as design. There is no real auditorium. The basketball court is about 1/4th the size it should be. The dress code is way to strict. You don't get the feel that teachers are there when you need them. It is impossible to fail a class. (People need to know that there can be failures in life!) I honestly find the public school pressure atmosphere more successful. I will feel sorry for the students enrolled at [Waldorf School X] and [its high school] when they go on to college. They will not have the skills to have a successful college career. —Submitted by a student

Posted November 5, 2008

This school does not provide a very good education, it teaches very pointless 'skills' like knitting, woodworking, eurythmy and other meaningless things. The faculty is many times inexperienced and many do not know how to relate to students and are often very insensitive. There are some good teachers however and some of the teaching is satisfactory but overall it is a poor school. —Submitted by a student

Posted May 1, 2013

My child was treated very poorly by the staff at this school — mainly the early childhood staff. Early childhood teachers in the Waldorf community are supposed to be grandmotherly — warm and nurturing. What we experienced was very far from loving. They are also not accepting of children with differing needs — or "perceived needs" — and don't use proper channels to assess whether a child is right for their school or not. It's a shame that what should be a lovely school makes so many young children feel sad and disliked. I hope that their early childhood program is able to improve to better meet the needs of [our city's] youth. —Submitted by a parent

Posted February 2, 2012

We have withdrawn our children because they were not safe at school — in the school or on the playground. —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 12, 2011

Very upsetting experience, minimal supervision at recess, violence is tolerated and the needs of bullying children seem to take priority. Though good things are present, ineptitude and disorganization lead to a "Lord of the Flies"-type atmosphere. Very expensive and disappointing experience. —Submitted by a parent

Posted February 1, 2011

After my eagerness to enroll my child in [Waldorf School X] for K4, I was very displeased with how things turned out. Supposedly my child had a temper tantrum problem, however the K4 teacher waited a month before telling me anything about the problem, even though she said it existed from the beginning. By that point it was completely out of her control but she expected me, as a full-time working parent, to commit to an on-call schedule and pick my child up whenever they called and said she'd gotten to be too much. Additionally, she placed labels on my child like "special-needs" and stated that she made "cerebal-palsy-like movements" and was just completely out of control. I am 100% for working with teachers to do what is best for our children, but not ok with a teacher who is quick to label a child before she has even attempted to work with the parents. And that doesn't mean waiting a month before trying to do so. I am sure [Waldorf School X] is an excellent school for grades 1-8, and wish we could have continued, but our start was less than positive. —Submitted by a parent

10/04/2011

Never go here! Run away as fast as you can. This place is run by pot smoking hippies. My son went for a week and we will never ever come back.

October 04, 2011

Horrible school. Would rather walk in front of a moving train than send my children here, I graduated from this school and have nothing good to say about their lack of teaching skills.

Posted June 16, 2010

My 3 children did not feel they learned any basic curriculum. Knitting, art and woodworking are great, but math, science, English, history are weak. Many of their high school students don't get into college. We left because our children were bored. —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 15, 2009

My daughter attended [Waldorf School X] for a year and enjoyed what they had to offer at the preschool age. However, she would come home and need to run and jump all over the place. Some kids just need to run. I like the Waldorf philosophy but I also feel times are changing and in order to keep a realistic perspective on our world, the media is a huge part of it. And being a psych major, I have learned that children feel safe when they can understand parts of their environment. Not keeping them in a bubble right smack in the middle of a thriving city. Plus parents have an imperialistic attitude at [Waldorf School X]. The love and respect for nature and life should be given to all, not just those who can afford it. —Submitted by a parent

Posted July 25, 2007

If your child has any learning difficulties, this school is ideal for allowing them to work without enormous pressure. If your child is academically gifted, this school will not be a good fit. There is a strong anti-intellectualism from first thru 12th grade. —Submitted by A. J., a parent

Posted June 25, 2007

Adjusting to a traditional school revealed that my child was performing in every area below grade level. It took her a year to catch up, and we regret having not pulled her out before first grade. Although the campus appears serene and attractive, the lack of transparency in the curriculum is a serious problem. —Submitted by D., a parent

Posted October 14, 2006

Excellent kindergarten with our particular teacher; however, we had the very opposite experience in middle school; and we were so unimpressed by the time our child reached 8th grade that our child begged us to allow her to switch to a more traditional high school. —Submitted by J., a parent

Posted October 13, 2006

Three children attended; the oldest had a great experience from k-8; our second child had a series of terrible teachers. The youngest child had a great kindergarten experience. The school has no ability to constructively address parents' concerns. —Submitted by a parent

Posted October 13, 2006

In spite of the beautiful appearance, it feels like a cult. There are no academics standards. —Submitted by a former student

Posted March 11, 2006

As the name states, this is a Waldorf school, which is a very definite thing. For some, it is perfect, for some not such a good fit. That is the first thing a prospective parent needs to research. One distinctive aspect of Waldorf schools is there is not a 'principal'. In the event of a problem, this can be an issue. We often felt we had no one to turn to for action on our concerns. Academically, we found [Waldorf School X] on a very different page than other private schools in the area. Our children left with way above-average vocabularies, and below-level skills in concrete areas such as spelling and basic math facts. —Submitted by a parent

Posted February 28, 2005

The campus of [Waldorf School X] is beautiful — there are big playgrounds separate for the kindergarten, grades 1-3, and then 3-6. The curriculum is very soul-based, not academic — at least not academic enough for my children. My 2nd grader got 'bored' there, and wanted to go to a 'real' school — so we switched her to a public charter school. —Submitted by a parent

Parents are not allowed to question the teacher's decisions in the elementary grades. Discipline is inconsistent — often the teachers seem excessively punitive. This education appeals to students/families who prefer an anti-intellectual curriculum, with a spiritual agenda inspired by Rudolph Steiner. There is no geniune open forum to express concern about classroom issues, bullying, etc., or to question the unusual methods used to teach. — A. S. (student)

October 14, 2009 [by a student]

After spending 4+ years there, I will say this, first the teachers for the most part lack any formal education, and yes that means little or no college, second I saw more drugs and alcohol there than any public school kids sniffing "dust off" coming to school high on LSD, stoned students AND often teachers, drinking off campus at lunch, etc etc, subject matter substandard (computers are banned by Waldorf) also don't let them fool you with their college acceptance claims, yes the students will get accepted but in most cases the drop out after 1 to 2 years, out of the hundred plus people who graduated over my time there most (I say this with total certainty) did nothing and often have a list of drug and alcohol related mishaps on their record, DUIs etc, it is my opinion that it would be best to send you children elsewhere, the damage that can be inflicted can take years to fix, its a very unhealthy place, outside it seems great, but just ask them about kids who...

M. S.

Our two children attended for a total of about 13 years between them. I was one of those enthusiastic mothers who for many years couldn't say enough good things about the school. Gradually, however, my husband and I began to form the opinion that while the curriculum appeared on paper to be impressive, in practice it neither matched the hype we were hearing nor met the expectations we had for our children's education. Nonetheless, because I still thought the social environment of the school was healthy, I continued to vigorously defend it against criticism by families that left dissatisfied or in anger. That stopped when scandals occurred that, for us, crossed a line. I then began researching Waldorf and Anthroposophy and was stunned to find myself going through a deprogramming process. It finally dawned on me that I had become brainwashed by what I consider to be a slick PR program. I strongly recommend that anyone considering a Waldorf school research the many American and international English language Web sites critical of Waldorf. The documentation at some of those sites is truly enlightening. I recommend you don't accept at face value arguments that Steiner quotations are being taken out of context. Instead, ask how the context affects the meaning of the quotations. I also suggest that if someone tells you that Steiner quotes provided by critics have been mistranslated, have an independent, non-Waldorf German speaker translate some of them for you and compare your translations to those by both Waldorf supporters and critics.

A. ‎- Jan 25, 2011

This place is a joke 4 years like bob says unless you start in 1st grade forget it, you will always be an outsider, a bunch of spoiled rich kids who also infuse the place with drugs, you may be better of at another school, save your money.

P. ‎ - Oct 23, 2010

Went here for 3 years of my life. Unless you're in the Waldorf system from 1st grade up you will not integrate well into their education system. A bogus education belief based on creating your own books, if you're child isn't an artist, or is coming in from public school. Forget it, spend your 14000 somewhere else

Posted September 16, 2010

Waldorf education can be an amazing thing, but [Waldorf School X] is a very poor example of a Waldorf school. There are very real reasons this school is under-enrolled, has no waiting lists, and often turns over 20% of its children a year. There is no functioning leadership. Teacher quality is uneven. Most crucially, [Waldorf School X] lacks integrity, their mission statement a hollow promise gutted by fear and money. Look elsewhere. —Submitted by a parent

My child loved her kindergarten teachers but by 2nd grade became frustrated with the repetition of form drawing and the weirdness of the eurythmy class. She is now in a charter school that is equally relaxed (no grades, no tests, no homework) but is more academically stimulating and inspiring. At Waldorf, every child works at the same pace, which is usually dictated by the children who struggle the most. —Submitted by a parent

My son was there for a year and didn't learn a thing. We changed schools the following year to an more challenging academic setting. He had a lot of remedial work that he had to do the following year just to catch up to his peers. The teachers at [Waldorf School X] are very nurturing and loving, however, the kids need more mental stimulation. I don't agree with their philosophy (actually Rudolf Steiner's) of delaying academics till the late elementary/jr. high years. My feeling is that either you're a Waldorf person or you're not, there's no middle ground. It turned out that my son had dyslexia, which had gone undetected as his class was not performing at grade level in reading or writing. He did benefit however, from having such a caring, wonderful teacher. The campus has an expansive park-like feel to it and is beautiful. —Submitted by a parent

Posted February 27, 2013

My kids had the worst time in their life at this school. The faculties believe [a] large class is better than [a] small one so they keep adding students. The teachers yell at kids on daily basis in order to take care of 30 and more kids in their class with many learning disability kids. The school has big financial problem so they are BIG on donations and it is on the must-do list. They have the chart for donation and it tells how [each] much family had participated on donating the money by each grade. They are competing on which grade get 100 percent participation on annual donation. Most of teachers don't have the education degree and those are the one teach for 1-8. Because they are not capable to cover all subjects, many families rely on private tutoring at home. The school has many ritual activities and in order to perform the event they cut down from main lesson curriculum. There is big-time bullying going on by kids and by teachers. I felt that the school has poor quality for education and unhealthy social behavior. —Submitted by a parent

Posted November 26, 2012 

The New High School looks promising and there is finally some technology in a few classrooms. The problem is that this school is over stuffing children in the grades to fill up the free siblings in the high school. The teachers in the lower grades stay with the class from 1st - 8th grade and there are some seriously poor quality teachers as you get closer to the Jr High grades. The children in these classes who have been with the poor teachers all these years have horrible manners and they tend to ignore, or worse, bully new children in these classes and on the playground. The poor teachers, in turn, to save their jobs and their own children's free education, will blame all the problems on the new children. It all works because they only vote unanimously on the College Board of 12. We are Waldorf Alumni from the East Coast and we have found that many Southern California Waldorfs and Charter Waldorfs are vastly below standards for Waldorf Schools nation wide and world wide. They also keep many parents in the dark about standards and philosophies so the current parent body has little idea that they are operating with substandard teachers. Lots of turnover... —Submitted by a parent

Posted March 15, 2012

Waldorf education standards are amazing when taught in the right way. Meant to embrace the individual strengths of a child, soften the focus on weaknesses & provide a place of compassion, free of judgment. [Waldorf School X] has translated that in to allowing the kids to express themselves in whatever manner the child sees fit, with little social/emotional guidance. Kids threaten others & act in cruel ways; allowed to express themselves at the expense of others. Affects learning for those who need a stable, creative & caring place to be. Education level is behind what it used to be. Class sizes range 30+. Kids capable of more fall behind; can't concentrate w/surrounding chaos/not given the attention needed. Specialty subjects seem perfection focused. Kids who aren't at the same level as others sit out of orchestra, unable to participate with the group & aren't provided with anyone to help them progress. Little to no parent/teacher communication. Can't say this about every teacher, only what my child has experienced. Have the same teacher/class 1st - 8th grade, so be thorough when interviewing & spend time in the class. No community garden/physical labor is not focused on —Submitted by a parent

Posted December 11, 2011

This Waldorf is not one of the better Waldorfs in the nation. Our children have one good teacher and one unexperienced teacher. The festivals and curriculum are Waldorf but this school lacks social discipline and this shows up in the students social interactions with each other, which are often aggressive. Waldorf students around the world are known for being confident, compassionate people who are able to help others in the world. Too much unwarranted confidence at this school and not enough intelligent compassion. Many grades teachers are too new and don't have enough Waldorf training to apply this education properly. Emphasizing the whole child approach would work better here if the teachers had the tools, but they are lacking. New children coming from other schools in the grades may have a very hard time assimilating into the culture. Really interview the teacher and parents before deciding. The new high school seems promising with many new and experienced teachers. If this school could work on improving their students and teachers social skills, it could be promising and possibly worth the tuition. —Submitted by a parent

Posted April 27, 2011

I have been with the school, as a parent and teacher for 7 years. I can tell you without hesitation that the education at [Waldorf School X] is below what you would get at a good public school. Yes, the arts are great. Yes, the festivals are pretty. But, is that what we are paying for? Fifth graders who can't compose a coherant paragraph? The majority of 8th graders who can't do algebra? Do not be blinded by the surface beauty, the underbelly is not pretty!! There is no administration. There is no consistency in the education. You are rolling the dice with your child's future by enrolling them in Waldorf. Beware!!! —Submitted by a parent

Posted August 2, 2011

Our child spent four years at this school. After a few positive experiences in the beginning, we had a miserable time at this school. Our child was bullied, subjected to hate speech, beaten by a bully while being held by the bully's sidekick. The teacher had zero previous teaching experience, pigeonholed children and treated all according to what she thought she "knew" about them as though she had some special psychological insight into their karma. The teacher was a disaster on the level of personal interaction and in terms of academics. The principal is in a position of doling out financial favors to members of the school board and therefore, rules supreme without any meaningful supervision, and acts arbitrarily. Extremely hurtful environment and academically a disaster. —Submitted by a parent

Posted February 5, 2011

Horrible experience. My son came from a very bad experience in the [local school] system and transferred to [Waldorf School X] in November. He said goodbye to his teacher in June and in July we received a termination letter about his enrollment. We did not receive any contact prior to this letter. I contacted the office but they did not respond at all. My son has now been diagnosed with high functioning autism and could have used the support of this school but they dropped him as fast as they could after taking our tuition money. —Submitted by a parent

Posted today

[Waldorf School X] has been a true disappointment. After a few years it has become clear that it is not simply a school with an emphasis on the Arts. Though almost never mentioned, the school is founded on the philosophy of one Rudolf Steiner (labeled an educator but had no credentials), called Anthroposophy. This theory is almost never mentioned but forms the basis for everything which goes on at the school. Anthroposophy is an esoteric philosophy which incorporates karma, racial hierarchies, categorizing children into the four temperaments, and plenty of other Anthro nonsense. Children are encouraged to look back into antiquity rather than modern knowledge for answers. They are taught the ancient 4 element theory is fact, that myths and stories are fact. They are not taught to read until at least 7 years old. Parents are told this is to avoid rushing education. The reality is that Anthroposophy teaches that a child does not incarnate into their Astral body until adult teeth form, this happens around the age of 7, that only once the Astral body has fully incarnated can any intellectual faculty be exercised. This education is not right for my children. Do you feel it's right for yours? —Submitted by a parent

8/9/2011

After leaving this school and having my kids tested, I would never go back again. You think you're paying to give your kids a head start while passing on the love of learning, come to find out 6 years latter you're really crippling them in this program. (Test scores showed, child three years behind due to lack of instruction. When child was instructed, the scores jumped two grade levels in a 6 month period.) [Our town] has incredible public schools that help children excel academically and have a lot of the same feel as this place once did.

5/7/2013

Our child was in this school from Kindergarten to Second Grade. Kindergarten was a pleasant experience but the first and second grade were so problematic that we finally pulled our child out of the school. It is a VERY expensive private school that is poorly managed. Our child experienced bullying. We brought that to the attention of the teachers and of the principal. Nobody acted upon our concerns other than to tell us that the children's behaviors are driven by Karma. Apparently, our child must have bad Karma and 'deserved' to be bullied. Appalling! — The principal and the first & second grade instructor (who has since quit) were friends and the nepotism was unbelievable. The instructor was inexperienced and completely unable to cope with the classroom which contained only 16 students.

Our child was beaten and scratched and called names. The bully performed an 'execution' on her and used a racially motivated reason for it: "All XXX are evil and therefore you must die." Our child was six years old at the time. That is not what you expect from Waldorf, where peace and tolerance and an easy-going atmosphere are being espoused. The leadership of the school was completely unresponsive, and we were 'forbidden' to discuss our concerns with the public/other parents. Can you believe it? 

Our child is doing much better in another school. I am glad that we pulled the brakes on this Waldorf school. I feel that its academics are not all they are cracked up to be. In general, I find the Waldorf approach very appealing and interesting. But this particular school is incredibly badly run.

11/10/2011

This school does not, in my opinion, reflect well on the overall Waldorf method because it is very poorly run and supervised. The principal reigns supreme and makes arbitrary decisions, hiring unprepared and incapable teacher to save money (one assumes) or due to nepotism. The members of the board are in a conflict of interest with the very principal they are supposed to supervise, because their children get tuition breaks from said principal. The school is appallingly badly run. — That said, some teachers are outstanding and do a wonderful job (especially in Kindergarten) but the overall environment is one of cronyism, hubris, and utter lack of academic rigor. My child attended [Waldorf School X] for three years, two too many, and suffered injustices galore, from a few other kids who were bullies without any restraint placed on them by the so-called educators, and by one spectacularly unqualified teacher. The latter person evaluated my child as a moderate reader. After three months in a new school, my child placed in the top 1% nationwide on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills in reading. [Waldorf School X] has enormous deficits and I recommend strongly against it. Your child will suffer academically and socially. Unless your child is a bully. In that case, by all means, send him/her and he/she will thrive.

Posted October 12, 2011

Many children thrive here, but beware, this school can be extremely damaging for some children and it took us almost a year to build our child's confidence back up after he attended. The school is beautiful and lively and full of amazing smells, music, and art and we did appreciate the holistic curriculum. However, there is absolutely nothing scientific about the guiding principles of the school, as one parent remarked, but rather the philosophical principles and spiritual path developed by Rudolf Steiner (Anthroposophy), which is very radical. Beware that children are placed into one of Steiner's four categories by temperament early on and teachers base their interactions and attitudes with children on these temperaments, which are utterly arbitrary and completely lack social and cultural context. This was extremely damaging for our child, because our child did not fit perfectly in one of the boxes. If only he was slender, elegant, and well-balanced instead of big and fleshy he would have received the proper stimulation and attitude from the staff — which is a ridiculous basis for interaction between teacher and student. —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 31, 2011

Wasn't the school for us at all and so we had a terrible and traumatic year. My child's teacher was not adept at working with all types of children. Some children appear to excel, but others are judged constantly. There very very few days that I wasn't reminded how to parent better. Be sure to really look into the ideology of this school because it apparently did not align with ours. Not a pleasant experience at all. —Submitted by a parent

Posted March 14, 2011

Based on Steiner's philosophy of education, known as anthroposophy, it divides education into developmental stages similar to Piaget's stages of child development. This school initially seemed like a dream...the curriculum and teachers view education as holistic and organic and emphasize a balance of developing the child not only intellectually, but emotionally, and artistically. However, much like Steiner himself...we found this school to be extremely elitist with absolutely no room for conflicting ideas of lifestyle, culture, or ideologies. As immigrants from a non-white country, we found the parents and educators to be more concerned with sugar, gluten, television, and artificial colors then education. In other words, completely out of touch with reality. I also agree with the parent that many teachers are brilliant, however lack the ability to understand children that are not perfectly "Waldorf". I found this school to do the opposite of what it boasts...it is another educational institution that expects the students to learn the way it teaches instead of teaching the way that individual child learns...which is a rip-off for the amount of fees parents pay. —Submitted by a parent

Posted July 8, 2010

This can be a great school for your child or it can be a ridiculous experience. I would advise you to learn the philosophy behind how and what they teach.Some of the teachers are so wonderful and wise. If you had the experience we had it is the result of poor teacher communication, poor administrative communication and poor understanding of children. The teacher's inability to correct or understand my child in the most basic day-to-day classroom experience ensured failure. Ignorance caused judgment by under-qualified people which negatively affected the daily life of my child sitting in the classroom. By placing my child in [a] more experienced school, he has found so much confidence about how he learns and the questions...oh the many questions he has about the world around him! Many schools offer wonderful opportunities for our children, have fun exploring! —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 30, 2013

While Waldorf education is something I believe in [Waldorf School X] is a place I cannot recommend in good conscience. My child went to the school from pre through 2nd grade. Everything was great until we got a specific teacher in 1st who was terrible. When our child was singled out for mistreatment by the teacher, we asked the administration for help. Big mistake! They were both clueless and had "it's the parent's fault" attitude. Our opinion didn't matter, the teacher is always right and if we didn't blindly trust the school then there must be something wrong with us. Thus began the shunning and systematic undermining of our child's trust and confidence in class. Yes, it's that bad. There are only two types in the eyes of the school. You are either one of the chosen few in the inner circle or you have not embraced the dogma as presented by the dysfunctional administration, teachers and college of teachers. Unless something drastically changes at this campus, my advice is to look elsewhere for your child. —Submitted by a parent

Posted March 30, 2013

We were unaware that the Steiner model placed the needs of one needy child above the safety and education of the rest of the students. My child learned to fear school based on the behavior of a child who hit, pushed, and interfered with my child's work and play at school daily in the pre-pre-K class. [Waldorf School X] claims a "safe schools policy" but uses no specific strategy or culture to encourage or implement it. The teacher appeared ill-equipped to manage the misbehaving child, and neither of the 2 strategies she tried with him worked. It did not seem that she was even seeking other solutions to resolve the situation via mentors, books, other resources. We left [Waldorf School X] mid-year. The Sweet Pea program is developmentally inadequate for 3yo's, despite enthusiastic Waldorf rhetoric claiming to "meet the needs of the whole child." The materials are not engaging to 3yo's interests (even for non-TV/media kids like ours), and student behavior reflects it. 3yo's should be offered a preschool environment, with Sweet Pea concluding at age 2.5 in its current structure. This school seems more interested in "appearing Waldorf" than in meeting student needs. Ask for specifics on their bullying policies. —Submitted by a parent

Posted January 11, 2013

It was our experience that the Steiner model, while it might be adequate for Gr.K-1, showed its lack of relevance by Gr.2, and was clearly deleterious to our child's educational and emotional growth by Gr.4. [Waldorf School X] compounded those failings with stultifying teachers and a cliquey administration which refused to address classroom issues (inc. bullying, and the increasing presence of technology in the classroom), apparently because the offending students were the children of the wealthier parents; in a word: useless, the lot of them. The quality of education [at Waldorf School X] was very shiny and showy, but surprisingly poor, with an appalling lack of focus on basics. We have a child who tests near the top of every graph, but whose years at [Waldorf School X] left gaping holes in his apprehension of the basics. The year we withdrew our child from [Waldorf School X], a quarter of his class left at the same time...and the conversations had with those parents in the ensuing months were amazingly similar in tone, with many of the same complaints. I think it's time for the Steiner adherents to get their heads out of the sand and reevaluate both the model and [Waldorf School X]'s execution of it; meanwhile, our child is flourishing in another school. —Submitted by a parent

Posted November 29, 2012

My child spent 5 years at the school with 2 wonderful teachers. Unfortunately, 1 very bad teacher changed everything for us. The problems we faced, we faced alone. There was no support for parents, no leadership at the school that was willing to do anything about this horrific teacher. The administration was of no help at all. Sadly, this teacher is still employed even though the class has lost a half-dozen students. —Submitted by a parent

Posted September 20, 2012

Wow, I am amazed at how one teacher can dominate the school and cause massive trouble for our family! The school is run by the College of Teachers, with no administrative check or balance. Literally, one teacher has caused us so much trouble, and no other teacher or administrator has had the courage to say its not right. We are *very* disappointed, and feel this school does not "walk the talk" of Rudolf Steiner's values or vision. —Submitted by a parent

Posted September 11, 2012

Ultimately, as a parent, it is our responsibility to protect our children from all forms of misconduct, whether by their peers or by those in authority (i.e. teachers). It is unfortunate that it only takes 1 or 2 people to spoil the whole idea of a safe and nurturing environment for our children. After 5 years, we are happily away from [Waldorf School X] and the insidious and ridiculous system called the College of Teachers. —Submitted by a parent

Posted July 27, 2012

It's true that your Waldorf experience depends deeply on the teacher your child has for 8 years. We liked our teacher, but ultimately, the College of Teachers Leadership Group is the body that runs the school, and we found them horribly self-serving, political, secretive, and unprofessional. They care more about their authoritarian grip on power than about the students. Problem teachers are protected, and it's the kids who are forced out. Sad and frustrating. —Submitted by a parent

Posted January 6, 2013

I was happy here K - 3; but in 4th grade, cliques began forming, and teachers showed a certain favoritism, spending extra time on the students whose parents were financially useful. Some students were neglected by the teachers, some were also teased and bullied. The teachers, staff, volunteers and chaperones did nothing to address the bullying. In grades 5 and 6, the cliques got stronger and the bullying worsened. My parents grew weary of answering their concerns with "We're aware of the problem" but taking no action. [Waldorf School X]'s hypocricy was particularly demoralizing for those families who honored their commitment to Waldorf's educational guidelines. After seeing my classmates with iPhones and FB accounts, my parents got me a laptop and a mobile phone. As the bullying continued, my teacher's solution was to bring in another teacher and play "pass the pinecone", oblivious to the fact that anyone who spoke up was in for further torment. Finally, my parents removed me from [Waldorf School X]  My grades are excellent (Mom says so!) and I'm a happier person not having to drag into that environment every day. (PS: Approx. 1/4 of my class didn t return the next year.) — Submitted by a student

Posted April 30, 2009

[Waldorf School X] has a fairy-tale approach to life and does not prepare children for the real world. The school's administration has no oversight and teachers are free to instruct and discipline children any way they see fit. My children had to be tutored after leaving Waldorf just to catch up with mainstream society. The campus is beautiful and the ideals are romantic. The storytelling and performances are fun but do not begin to educate children in today's complex world. There are some valuable lessons being taught, but negated by the fact that a child cannot write correctly or spell. There is no test-taking and no monitoring of the educational process. Waldorf creates it's own rules and changes them on a whim. I would not recommend this school to anyone who takes their child's education seriously. —Submitted by a parent

Posted November 16, 2007

The intentions are good, but it falls far short of its goals. —Submitted by a parent

Posted April 25, 2007

I am not sure the Waldorf model works in today's multicultural environment. Having the same teacher from K-8 sounds romantic, but it is rare to find an individual with a skill set that can meet a child's needs over 9 years of education. Parental involvement is very high and the atmosphere is nurturing. I would not recommend a Waldorf Education unless you are prepared to supplement your child's education w/ tutors and other outlets for both academic and sporting activities. —Submitted by a parent

Posted February 1, 2007

After having my daughter at this school for 5 years, I pulled her out. They have lost most of their good teachers and there is no oversight on poor-performing teachers. We most definitely would not recommend it for a quality education. —Submitted by a parent

7/13/2014

The Waldorf School decided to paint over the mural at the intersection of [two roads] 3 years ago, without talking to anyone on the block about it. The mural had been voted on in a contest several years before in our neighborhood group and had been touched up over the years. They thought it was ugly and just started painting over it but were stopped by neighbors who saw them doing it. Since then, they've done nothing. The blank wall encourages graffiti, but they don't have the time, money, etc., to actually repaint it with a new mural. It's been 3 years now that they've done NOTHING. So they destroyed a mural that the neighborhood had been behind (without asking anyone for input!) and now have left an eyesore for years. Thanks, guys!

In addition to that, the Waldorf parents don't seem to think rules apply to them. Every morning dozens of them go the wrong way down part of a one-way street at the same intersection as the mural was at, because it's more convenient for them to drop off their kids that way. There are arrows painted on the ground, one-way signs and do-not-enter signs, so there is no way they don't know they're going the wrong way. They just think the rules don't apply to them, because they are going to Waldorf. The ones going down the road the correct direction often are going at very unsafe speeds as well. I've nearly been hit by people going the wrong way several times over the years.

Waldorf is a bad neighbor.

4/10/2014

Very rude staff. Went for an open house and was told by receptionist we weren't on list so couldn't attend. Turns out we were on list. We arrived at 8:45 not 8:00 when open house started and were told to come back later. No one could enter after the open house started. Seriously? Prospective business and I'm being turned away? My husband took off work to attend. Receptionist says he told everyone to be there by 7:45. I tell him that he did not tell me because i would have put that right into my schedule plus my daughter has to be dropped at school at 8:00 so I would have definitely remembered if he said something. He replies he's very thorough too. Really? You were just telling me I wasn't on the schedule when I was. This guy has a real smug look on his face too. like, "oh well, too bad for you". My husband can't stay too long so we cannot attend the 10:30 time plus I had requested to view the 4th grade class but at 10:30 we'd have to observe the 2nd grade class. This makes no sense to me. Why would you inconvenience prospective customers especially since the school's reviews are less than stellar, average at best. This guy then goes on and asks me to recall the exact phone conversation I had with him and starts getting loud. I ask him why he's getting loud. Wait, isn't this school all about peace and harmony, and [yet] they have this belligerent receptionist insisting he's right I'm wrong? My husband runs a successful business for over 20 years. He says he's successful because he never treats customers this way. Forget this school. If this guy is an example of the attitude or mentality there, then forget it. I understand all the negative reviews now.

4/17/2013

This is not a school, it is a CULT! This is the most horrific school I had ever stepped foot in. I feel ashamed to say I sent my son here for a year. He was abused. Once he told me about what was really going on behind those doors, I took him out immediately. He was in the 5th grade, and has been going to therapy for years now to try and work through what this school did to him. The children [there] are cruel. He never used to swear before he went there, and the teachers did nothing to protect him while other students called him names like kaka and n****r. My son never liked school, but this was different.

They always threaten with this saying "you'll never find a better education anywhere else." Well, if you think physically and emotionally abusing young children is part of a "good education" you have got to be out of your mind! I will never let my son or any children I know even near this school. I even tell them to never get off at [a distant] train stop because I want them nowhere near this horrid place.

This is a warning to all parents out there. I love my son very much, and I wish every day that I did not send him to this school.

6/1/2013

My child was in the early childhood program for three years before moving on to a public school. There were a number of positive things about the program. Unfortunately, for the amount of money we paid in those three years, I wish I could say it was so amazing an experience we were willing to keep him there. I get the sense that the happiest families [there] are those that donate the most money and that wholeheartedly drink the anthroposophy/Steiner kool aid.

Beneath all the time spent outdoors and the wet-on-wet watercolors and lyre playing is an education philosophy that is based on some unconventional beliefs. I'm all for unconventional, but when you try to convince someone that their child behaving like a bored six-year-old is something bigger that is the consequence of their particular birth experience and that because of this they need to see an occupational therapist, that's when you lose me. This recommendation was based on limited observations by individuals not even a part of the particular classroom. One of my biggest criticisms in this entire process was the lack of support we received from teachers who actually know the child. But then, what can you expect from someone who wants to keep their job? Waldorf likes to push occupational therapy for any and all quirks. We were told that unless we took our child to an occupational therapist to help with reflexes that weren't developed due to his birth experience he would not be able to function properly in a first grade classroom. My child was acting no different than the average six year old — goofing around during circle time, being a kid. We did not follow the occupational therapy recommendation. We chose to not return.

Not surprisingly, our child has thrived in his new school. He is happy, he is learning, we feel like we can communicate easily with his teacher and feel supported in his needs, and that we are part of a community. At [Waldorf School X] parents are not really welcome in the classroom unless it's a birthday for a younger child, so if you're looking for a school in which you can be involved in something other than volunteering for a couple of larger school-wide events or donating money, this isn't the place to do it. I can't speak for academics, as we did not stick around long enough, but I can tell you that when we toured the first grade classroom, it looked like the kids were learning very basic math — counting up to 10 at that point and I'm pretty sure it was well into the school year. As for diversity, considering the city we live in, it isn't diverse in its student body nor in its faculty.

7/16/2012 S. C. 

This school is a disaster. First, the administration is incompetent and inexperienced in both educational and financial matters. Second, while the Waldorf philosophy is a good educational philosophy, it falls down in practice at [Waldorf School X]. Instead of encouraging creative growth, my son was being asked to copy essays into his Waldorf book — appalling! Those Waldorf books are supposed to be the child's own interpretation of the material, not some copied essay. Third, while many parents are great, the teachers and administrators play favorites and demonstrate intolerance if you do not go along with their philosophy 100%. Finally, while [Waldorf School X] claims to be whole-child centered and understand the individual, watch out if your child is a little different and does not fit in. They are very poorly equipped to deal with any learning, social or emotional problems and do more harm than good.

6/1/2010 

E. K. 

[Waldorf School X]....although I have much to say, I will leave this brief and to the point. The school is poorly run, they don't know how to accept change, they use people that willingly volunteer their limited free time until the person feels so used they never return to the "community". I happen to think that the philosophical base behind Waldorf education is way ahead of the curve; however, the people running [Waldorf School X] are way behind. Maybe one day everything will click for them and the students can get the education they deserve without the distractions that have constantly plagued the school. - Alum

6/1/2011

My daughter was at [Waldorf School X] for 11 years, making it halfway through high school. I was an extremely active volunteer. The best part of the place is the community. The school itself has many internal issues that need to be resolved. Waldorf education is a great thing and its founder, Rudolf Steiner, a brilliant innovator. But [Waldorf School X] as an example of [how] Waldorf learning falls down, especially in the middle/high grades. Maybe other Waldorf schools are more satisfyingly run. If those in charge of [Waldorf School X] were open to real change, such as the painful but necessary retirement of some instructors, it would help. They advertise constantly, rather than letting the education/school speak for itself. The tuition is disturbingly high. In the end, we were deeply disappointed with how they handled our child's situation, despite having been a long-term attendee. Some kids there do have it very good — keeping the same teacher all the way through, for instance, or being on the receiving end of someone's favoritism. (The happiest families usually have students still in the lower grades.) But the teachers of our child changed 3 times through 8th grade, and the class kept accepting new students who brought in disruptive behavior and a sorry lack of the philosophy of the place. I'm a little sad to find that neither my child nor we, her parents, miss the place. —Submitted by a parent

5/4/2011

They talk a great game but it is a bizarre education philosophy. My children needed extensive tutoring to bring them up to grade level when they transferred to regular schools. —Submitted by a parent

Posted June 7, 2011

When one reads the Waldorf curriculum, it sounds great and those morning lesson books look fantastic. One feels that his/her child is going to get this creative education that fosters critical thinking, but don't kid yourself! Mostly, the kids are copying from the board. There is no thinking and one is not allowed to question the philosophy. —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 4, 2011

This school really does not teach anything. After several years of attending [Waldorf School X], my son had to go to a reading specialist, not because he had any learning disabilities, but because Waldorf had not really taught him to read. They say that they are all about creativity, but really the lessons are about copying lessons from the board. Needless to say, we transferred our child and had to send him to extra tutoring to get him on grade level. —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 4, 2011

My child has serous learning disabilities that they failed to even recognize! They did some weird "birthing" investigation and then wanted to have my child realigned. My child has dyslexia! My child is now getting the correct help, but stay away from [Waldorf School X]! —Submitted by a parent

Posted March 20, 2011

This school preaches tolerance and understanding, but they are Neo-Pagan fundamentalists. They are judgmental and arbitrary in their decisions. The administration is incompetent and weak. The school lacks process and procedures for any difficulty. And the education quality is very disappointing. —Submitted by a parent

Posted July 30, 2010

Our son attended the parent-child and early childhood programs which were truly excellent and enriching experiences . He continued to the grade school where problems began. His teacher appeared to have a bias against boys as well as reported anger-management issues which erupted in the classroom. She was also very condescending and defensive with us in our attempts to discuss our son's increasing distress. We realized that he needed to leave this school and began searching for options. We found a much better fit for him at a small private school that was not only much kinder, but provided a genuinely grounded educational philosophy with a stronger academic curriculum. To summarize, this school has an outstanding early childhood program, but be very wary of continuing into the grade school. It is all about getting an excellent, caring teacher and having a positive classroom environment. Unfortunately, our son had neither. —Submitted by a parent

Posted December 23, 2009

There is a vague spiritual quasi-religous vision that guides every decision a teacher and the administrators rely on to both teach and run this school. It was our experience that the teachers do not want to partner with parents at all and parents are barely welcome to step foot inside the school, it is all very precious. Academics are faulty and if your child has a learning disability this is NOT the place for them, they don't have the resources or training to assist or identify a learning-disabled child. —Submitted by a parent

Posted June 11, 2009

The teachers are given the most power over your children and you 'ideally' have the same teacher for 8 years. The teacher will interpret and treat your child based on their opinion of your child. They believe they are somehow qualified to assess your child's soul or that they know more about the spiritual realm than anyone else could. A lot of parents seem to crumble at the mystique that is portrayed by teachers but it is really just a fallacy. They are teaching and thus interacting with your child based upon esoteric studies that they wholeheartedly believe in, but are they really what you believe? Money talks at this school although you'll find some pretty poor people who receive assistance, who are there basically because they totally believe in 'the way' and make the place seem ideal and authentic. Proceed with caution. Don't believe the hype, no matter how pretty —Submitted by a parent

Posted January 11, 2008

Our daugher was enrolled in the pre-school parent teacher program. The original teacher had a gift for recognizing the individual traits of the chilren; she also appeared to be well attuned to Steiner's philosophy, with special emphasis on nature, the outdoors, and the individual traits of each child. Alas, she moved on. Now, the program is quite mechanical. Little attention is paid to nature — the children do not even go outdoors. The teacher is not inclined or able to recognize the individual traits and characteristics of each child. And the parents are quite competitive among themselves — a function, perhaps, of the rather mechanical approach that now pervades the classroom. —Submitted by a parent

Posted April 15, 2006

[Waldorf School X] is a school based on the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, but [this] is interpreted by teachers so there is room for error. The staff runs the school and parents have little room to do anything that involves themself in their children's lives except volunteering for fundraisers. Parents are not easily welcomed into the classrooms and have little knowledge of what goes on. The quality of the education varies from teacher to teacher, and parents do not have a choice in the selection of the grades teachers. All first grade classes fill up to a capacity of 32 children even with the high tuition. —Submitted by a parent

Posted February 16, 2006

For those interested in Waldorf education, this is the only school available in the [our] area. Unfortunately, it's wildly expensive (approx. $12,000/year). The quality of the academic program varies from teacher to teacher and subject to subject. The school emphasizes art and music, incl. instrumental. The level of parent involvement is high, but it's gone down over the years due to burnout and the fact that some parents get paid while others don't. Those interested should be sure to at least know who Rudolf Steiner was, since Waldorf schools are based on his philosophy. Definitely not for parents who want a high-tech approach for their kids' school, e.g. computers, or who are very attached to the media. I rated the Principal Leadership 'don't know' because they're looking for a new one now. —Submitted by a parent

Reviewed by Parent/Guardian on July 24, 2010

This school does not tolerate other points of view. Their academics are weak, particularly in math and science. The administration is incompetent and does not follow their own policies and procedures.

Reviewed by Parent/Guardian on April 30, 2010

This school is disorganized and chaotic. The administration is inexperienced and incompetent. As much as they say they have your child's best interests at heart, they do not. All they care about is their philosophy and [they] have no respect for the parents or other points of view.

R.S.

9/3/2013

This Waldorf school is a disaster, and you should all know that the [Waldorf School X] leadership has REQUIRED the entire faculty (I, being a former faculty member) to pose as parents and students and post (bogus) positive reviews on the online school reviewwebsites. Everything about this school is a charade — the learning (there isn't much); the administration, board and teachers (more infighting than a WWF match); the parents (most judgmental and hostile group of human beings I've ever seen, posing to be "spiritual");

and the kids (totally out of control bullies and children with major unchecked behavioral issues). These children and parents have such a lack of decorum that they cause solid,caring teachers to lose their jobs by trying to get these spoiled kids to behave. Please save your money and go public... Anything would be better for your child than this school! While some Waldorfs are amazing, this one is not! They are a disgrace to the Waldorf national and international community. —Submitted by a longstanding Waldorf teacher

D. H.

8/13/2013 

[Waldorf School X] just might be the worse school in [the city] (private, public, or otherwise). This school hires incompetent teachers; has a cramped, dirty campus; tolerates bullying on every level; and is governed by a cult very much like Scientology (please check out http://www.waldorfwatch).  We gave our son a few years there, and we finally pulled him due to the school's utter lack of any kind of academic standards or principles, and their arrogance when you try to speak to them about it. In addition to having absolutely no decent sports program, they also do not have a library, a real playground (kids play in the parking lot), and no true arts program, something they boast as part of their curriculum. It's literally just a bunch of rooms where dreamy teachers teach a watered-down version of learning. This school is in business because they take any family who is not able to get into any other school in town.

C. T. in the last week

Wish I could give them ZERO STARS !!! I had an ABSOLUTELY AWFUL experience !! This used to be a super sweet school with lots of nice people, but when I returned after attending a different school for four years, this place has turned into a nightmare !!! My problems started at [Waldorf School X] after I was there Five years and they made the wrong choice in first grade teachers. I was in a class where the teacher would walk kids up to the front and hit them (not me). The school didn't believe us so we left, but about six months later they eventually fired him. My teacher was totally incapable of teaching middle school, and when she felt that you were starting to figure that out she would humiliate you saying you knew too much, or try to give you a lecture on how drops of water are not the same as water drops. One time I was wearing clear nailpolish, and they made me take it off in front of the head of school, while she gave me a lecture on how it is harming the imaginations of the younger children. The ironic part is the second graders were wearing green nailpolish, and yet they were not made to take it off. Another time I was trying to help my friend with there school work and my teacher said infront of both of us, " Why are you wasting your time on them, they will never get how to do that. " And one other time she publicly called me the worst drawer in the class. The wood work teacher and a few others are the only great teachers left, most have left over the past year. It is just all very sad because I once considered this place my home. Everything is kept confidential and the administrators lack the skill of problem solving. They have this slip policy that literally threatens the students so that they are afraid to speak up if anything unfair happens. Not very Waldorf at all !!!! My advice to you is that if you want a caring, positive waldorf experience for your child pick a different waldorf school, that is better if it is not in [this region] !!!

Posted August 19, 2013

This Waldorf school is known for being a good place for children with learning disabilities, autism, and emotional or behavioral issues, as most Waldorf schools specialize in catering to those children who do not fit into traditional educational settings. However, [Waldorf School X] failed our family by not providing enough support for our child who has mild Aspergers. Our child was taunted by both children and teachers. The best thing we ever did was remove our child from this bizarre school setting. 

—Submitted by a parent 

Posted March 12, 2013

Hmm, I posted my review yesterday and it disappeared. Here it is again. if your goal is to have a child who can't spell and is bad at math go to Waldorf! It's ok for most of the students there, since at least half of the kids there will end up being trust fund babies and will never have to worry about spelling or math. And some of the grade teachers cannot spell either. Also, when they say they don't want you to expose your children to media, they only say that, in reality everybody watches tv, plays video games etc. The most hypocritical bunch of parents I've ever seen. Also, they deny that bullying exists at the school but meanwhile plenty of children are really mean to each other and LOVE to single out one kid and pick on him/her. Mine wasn't one of the kids that got picked on but to watch it happen to others and hear everybody deny it is depressing. I think they bully each other because they are bored out of their minds for [the] most part. My child is now at a public school and it is as if a whole world of knowledge just opened up in front of her. Administration at [Waldorf School X] is also horrible. You will never hear a straight answer out of them. Same goes for [the] board of trustees. —Submitted by a parent

April 11, 2008

It is truly unfortunate that this school continues to promote itself to parents without sharing that the model is based on Anthroposophy. If you are interestedin any Waldorf School, read about Rudolf Steiner. Here is a good website to start with: openwaldorf.com —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 31, 2007

The school used to be a treasure. But since 2005, all the best grade teachers have left the school. Excellent subject teachers (woodwork, Japanese, music) remain. —Submitted by a parent

Posted June 29, 2013

This school is a problem child, hugely inconsistent. It has had many meltdowns over the years along with a huge turnover of administrators, teachers and many families. I laugh when I see these silly 5 star "gosh, everything is perfect..." reviews . As a family who spent many years there, we know the good, the bad and the ugly. This school only works IF you're lucky enough to land a good teacher who can DISCPLINE their class AND if you have a good (no problem kids) class. The community is cliquish but warm and fuzzy from a distance. Works best for K thru first or second, only if you want a slower start to your child's educational career, but beyond that, you are gambling. —Submitted by a parent

Posted June 20, 2013

My child had a horrible experience at [Waldorf School X]. She was slapped in the face three times, pushed, and threatened to be stabbed at school. [Waldorf School X] does not have a zero tolerance policy for bullying. My child was scared to go to school and would hide in the bathroom at recess. We took her out of the school mid-year and will not be returning. —Submitted by a parent

Posted June 6, 2013

I really wish I could leave a 0 star rating. We left last year after being disgusted and disillusioned with with the cover-ups going on in this school. My advice to new parents considering [Waldorf School X]? Run. —Submitted by a parent

Posted November 27, 2012

Having had a similar experience as the previous review, I couldn't have said it better myself. —Submitted by a parent

Posted November 26, 2012

The updated website looks great and there are some good teachers on campus. The new "Compassionate Campus" for which [Waldorf School X] won scholarship money must be a joke. When you have to TradeMark a program you can bet the administration is looking to cash in on a side business. A compassionate campus has been a tenant of Waldorf schools for 100 years and it was why these types of schools where created in the first place. We no longer attend for the very reason that [Waldorf School X] Administrators were NOT COMPASSIONATE and let our child get continually groped by another boy, did nothing and asked us not to say anything so they don't have probelms renewing their charter. There have been many private lawsuits against this [school] that have been won or settled out of court. This school is an embarrassment to Waldorf Eduction and Public Eduction at the same time. You get the worst of both worlds and TradeMarking a Compassionate Care program proves that the Administration is trying to cash in on 100 year old Waldorf teachings. Don't be fooled, it's all whitewashed and there's bad paint underneath. —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 10, 2012 

Lots of conflicting reviews! It's obvious that it is a very emotionally based school. That is the big issue we had with [Waldorf School X]. Administration, staff, and parents are so caught up in the "feelings" of the school rather than the actual education. The May Faire, Fairy Market, etc., are cute, but do not make up for lack of core academics. Unfortunately we witnessed academic laziness, low expectations, and serious disregard for core subjects. Also, they do not teach the art of navigating through textbooks, basic computer skills, study skills, or test-taking skills. After leaving [Waldorf School X] and going to a more traditional education, we are so grateful that our children are learning these fundamental skills. At [Waldorf School X]  the emphasis is on the arts, knitting, gardening, etc, versus mastering core curriculum. Those extras are very enriching but you have to feel OK with them being IN PLACE of basic math, ELA, and science. And science at [Waldorf School X] is Steiner science. You should Google that to make sure that's what you want your child learning. Remember where your child will be going from [Waldorf School X] and make sure that [Waldorf School X] can sufficiently prepare them for their future. —Submitted by a parent

Posted April 10, 2012

Based on our experience, we are giving this school two stars. Our children spent three years at [Waldorf School X], with the 2011-2012 year being their first year at a new school. We experienced positive and negatives during those three years. Unfortunately, the negatives outweighed the positives. Lack of teaching core curriculum in one class put one of our children an entire year behind. The other major issue was administration and the lack of discipline for bullies with no consistent policy enforced. Further, the parents who had real concerns were often overlooked. For us, you can't judge a book by its cover...it looked great on the outside but the interior is very flawed and isn't nurturing the whole child. We recommend keeping an eye on your children and their preparedness for high school. We cannot recommend this school at this time. —Submitted by a parent

Posted January 19, 2012

There are a lot of unhappy parents at [Waldorf School X] watching stuff all this. Events do not happen in a closet, parents who vol. etc. are watching and see the travesties that occur to others and are frustrated. This is reflected in lower donation rates and parent vol., etc. All the negative reviews below are correct. Huge egos, 'big talk' but little action, wishy-washy decisions. We will be leaving at end of year. This school has lost the heart it once had. New Admin has done a couple of good things but made huge, bad judgement calls, sweeping stuff under rug. IF school gets rechartered, school council / teachers need to insist on a proven track record of experienced, ethical, stable Admin otherwise this school won't make it. Stop the nepotism, go outside Waldorfville. —Submitted by a parent

Posted January 16, 2012

The negative reviewers are spot on. Negative reviews do 'disappear...' I watched when we left in the spring and 3-4 disappeared. We left last year with others due to the substandard teacher in our class as our child was academically behind. Check out STAR scores to verify 2 classes who suffered. To be fair, recent hires are great but there are several grades that are suffering from years past. Admin promises and doesn't deliver. Unfinished website, important survey we've been told still not out, FAVORITISM of special families whose kids get off scot-free. Admin Incompetence, inexperienced, etc., but happy to take your money. Middle school very unprepared for real world. School currently works for K-5, just doesn't have it for beyond that despite some good teachers' efforts. This school really needs a really experienced, strong admin who won't waffle and is an educator at heart. We are soooo happy we left. I pray for the others in our old class to 'open their eyes.'' —Submitted by a parent

Posted December 11, 2011

This school has some serious administration issues. There are a few good teachers who are trying their best to teach in the Waldorf Method but they have very little training in this method as compared to the private Waldorfs. The parents are mostly nice but very naive regarding Waldorf education so they don't realize that the administration is applying watered-down standards. This school could be better under a different administration who are vastly unqualified in comparison to all other administrators in county. If you have standards, another school would be a better choice. —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 9, 2011

Reading the reviews, its startling. One grade was given a WALDORF assessment recently, which showed that particular grade to be failing math. As one post said below, it's not a race, but you would certainly hope your child would not be failing at the end of an upper grade. Clearly, the time is not being taken to investigate and hear the facts. All of us need to pull together at [Waldorf School X] and help those families that have suffered this fallout. This failure was due to lack of instruction and lack of intervention by administration. This is a big issue at [Waldorf School X] with parents just not being aware. I'm a Waldorf supporter and do not see this example as an accurate representation of a Waldorf education. Most parents agree at [Waldorf School X] that education is not a race, but they still do want their children learning at school and becoming educated. This example described leaves me to feel utterly embarrassed. Most schools would never allow an entire grade to fail a core subject. —Submitted by a parent

Posted April 26, 2011

Wow, where do i begin? I will start out on the positive. I think the idea of how [Waldorf School X] says they are going to teach children is great (if it worked, and they were doing what they said they would do! i.e.: see the school's test scores: SCARY!) Umm..the school has a great music program. The positive comments on here have to be from the administration or parents that sadly just don't have a clue. There is no accountability or organization at [Waldorf School X], this is what they call the Waldorf way. Kids need structure or there is chaos. [Waldorf School X]'s name should be CHAOS. The administration is constantly putting out fires that never seem to stop. It is sad and scary to me that this school is able to stay open and be responsible for children learning or lack there of in this case. There are also no textbooks at this school, the kids write there own, no computers, and they ask all the parents to donate $100.00 a month. I will be shocked if this school is still open in the next 5 years. If you have very low standards for your child's education, this is the school for you! [Waldorf School X], where education is not a race — it's a joke! —Submitted by a parent

Posted April 18, 2011

This school could be so good, if only the Waldorf philosophy was actually put into practice effectively. Unfortunately, [Waldorf School X] lacks consistency, has no apparent curriculum that is followed, and what the child is taught is highly dependent on who they have as a teacher. Teacher-to-parent communication on what is being learned in the classroom (and therefore should be reinforced at home) has been completely missing. This may be a different experience from class to class, but with no standard to follow, there is no consistency. I like the playful, cheerful environment, but it is a lot of play and not a lot of work. If the purpose of school is to prepare our children for the future and to build the foundation for a strong work ethic and a successful career, then [Waldorf School X] falls dreadfully short. The influence I see being indirectly taught to the children is that of mediocrity and laziness, which is such a shame. Executed correctly, [Waldorf School X] could be a place where children learn to care for each other, care for the earth, find joy in simple things, AND work hard, develop a love for learning, and a desire to always do their best work. Unfortunately, that is not what it is today. —Submitted by a parent

Posted February 8, 2011

If you want even a moderate amount of focus on academic learning and acquisition of basic language and math skills, look elsewhere, anywhere else will be better. There is absolutely no desire to teach the students anything remotely close to basic academics. To have a school in the middle of [this town] ranked 375 out of 381 elementary schools in [this county] is criminal. How parents can want their children to be so disadvantaged is hard to understand. And yet [the district] renewed their charter. Go to the [Waldorf School X]'s website and look for anything that relates to academic achievement. There is nothing. They do learn how to knit and compost, however. —Submitted by a parent

Posted March 2, 2010

CAUTION, BEWARE, TAKE A CLOSER LOOK, these are my words of advice for any parent who is thinking about enrolling their children in [Waldorf School X]. If you want quality education that makes sense, this is not the place . My children attend [Waldorf School X] and I have no idea what they do during the day. No work ever comes home, there is little homework which reflects what they are doing in class, and you have to beg the teachers to tell you anything. There is no communication. There is little disapline. My children are getting hit and punched often and nothing is done even after I have meetings with the teacher and administration. Taking my children out at this time is not an option because they are behind academically. I often wish I never got my children involved at this school. I hope they can catch up before it's too late. —Submitted by a parent

Posted February 3, 2010

Parents, if you are planning to enroll your child in [Waldorf School X], please know what you are getting into before you take this big step. The school is very disorganized and nobody seems to know what is going on. Nobody takes resposibility for anything. On paper and in theory this school looks ideal for all children, but once you look a little closer at the staff and the curriculum, you will realize it is not what it appears to be. —Submitted by a parent

Posted June 7, 2009

It is a blessing to have a charter school in [our town], however this particular charter school is certainly not for everyone. Yes, there is a lot of confusion in the administration, events get cancelled and the parents get notified at the last minute. But the reason why I am taking my child out is due to the lack of mental stimulation. I did not fully understand what the Waldorf system entails. And it does teach children the basics of reading and writing about 1 or 2 years later than a public school. I still believe it is a great school for kids that just would not fit into the public school system. And the public schools are certainly not inviting, so it's a shame that the only charter school we have is so extreme. I am still looking and hoping for a middle ground. —Submitted by a parent

Posted April 29, 2009

If only [Waldorf School X] had realized its potential! But over the past 3 years there has been turmoil in almost every grade, an almost constant exodus of teachers, uneven qualifications, 3 administrators in a row resigning, and consistent unprofessionalism in everything they do. With the charter up for renewal next year, heart surgery might be a good thing. Please do your homework. We've paid a fortune in tutors to catch our children up to state standards after leaving [Waldorf School X]. —Submitted by a parent

Posted March 30, 2008

I had high hopes for this school, but was instead very disappointed. The school lacks leadership and the hole at the top is sorely felt throughout the school. The Waldorf theory is wonderful — but how it is put into practice is everything and this school is not what is shown in the inspiring DVD production or quick tours of the classes. The cirriculum is very slow. This cannot be emphasized enough. I understood it was slow — but I had no idea how slow 'slow' really is at [Waldorf School X]. Specifics: The administration is disorganized and events are calendared, moved and cancelled constantly. Playgound equipment was broken for six months with no one taking any lead on getting it fixed. For the first four months of the school year, they rang the bell 10-15 minutes late every single day. Lots of problems and virually no leadership to get things solved. Can't reccomend it. —Submitted by a parent

Posted August 29, 2005

I would hesitate in sending my child to this school unless you are completly aware of the teachings of Waldorf. It isn't as wonderful as it seems. —Submitted by a parent

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

We spent many years at [Waldorf School X]. Unfortunately, most of it was trying to bring to the ever-changing administrators' (5 diff in 7 yrs) attention to the deficits of the very weak teacher my child had. Finally, after about 10 families left the class due to substandard teaching, she was re-assigned to a lower position. Those that left had to tutor their children up to grade level as I am now with my child, who is now at another school. Admin didn't take many parents complaining seriously and tried to sweep issues under rug. Lots of IEPs in this class. The school has some great teachers but very inconsistent standards and policies, weak and erratic administrators, loose discipline procedures and lots of double standards. Fun atmosphere for kids but this is SCHOOL. Very unprofessionally run. Would NOT recommend. —A parent

My children have had to repeat a grade this past year due to the lack of teaching core subjects while at [Waldorf School X] for several years. The positive reviews one sees after negative reviews are written by the marketing dept that trolls the internet. As if by wanting my child to learn, I'm wanting them to be 'burnt out.' Pathetic excuse for the poor academics. It was a waste of time but a lot of fun for sure. Developmental approach is a respectable way if only there were consistency in the teaching, discipline policies and administration. After 12 yrs, this school should be rock-solid, and it's not. The school needs an Administration that will be there for 10 years to really build the school. This one will be gone in a year or so... and then, starting over once again... Reality: the school has a poor reputation out in the larger community from all the families who have left because of problems encountered. —Submitted by a Parent on May 17, 2012

We left after many years and wished we left sooner. Several yrs with a very weak teacher, poor classroom mgmt skills (didn't even correct or return homework), NO communication, lots of free playing time. it was scary! My child is way behind and has lots of bad habits to break. DESPITE many complaints to ADMIN., nothing was done and I was treated disrespectfully. CHAOS should be the name. It looks good on paper but it all depends on who is teaching. Each class varies and it is watered-down Waldorf. Look at a real Waldorf school curriculm and you will see the difference. I regret tremendously that we wasted so many years there. The parents are mostly really nice and naive and the community hooks you in but remember, this is your child's education! Not a playtime for your interests. Poor communication overall, spotty policies that aren't followed, favoritism of special families who donate a lot of money. I would only recommend for Kindergarden, which is delightful. —Submitted by a Parent on Feb 8, 2012

This so-called school is a camp for raising losers! It should be shut down. They are putting innocent children in danger in more ways than one. Totally irresponsible to be able to get funds from taxpayers to pay for this so-called school, it's a small group of irresponsible parents. —Submitted by a Parent on Oct 22, 2010

Posted 2011-12-12

The posting from the [Waldorf School X] parent yesterday is spot on. The administration has watchdogs scanning this website daily to counter all negative postings or they contact this website to have any negative postings removed. The truth of the matter: parents, students and faculty are unhappy with the administration and this is reflected by the enrollment, donations, low test scores, attendance, and high teacher turn-around. The majority of the parents complain in the parking lot, feel they do not have another option, and are hoping to see a turnaround with the administration if the school gets re-chartered.

Posted 2011-05-06

I'm not surprised at the amount of controversy & the polar opposite reviews. The majority of parents don't understand what type of school this is but admin is working to survey our community. Which leads me to correct the last post about this being a "waldorf inspired" school. [Waldorf School X] is a "waldorf charter" NOT inspired because the programs are all taught based on Steiner's principles and main lesson is all Waldorf. Everything is Waldorf, not inspired. Also, that same parent posted that it's a "classical ed". A classical education is not the model here. A classical education is rigorous, appreciates deadlines for reports & is very specific about language arts & grammar in the early years (1-4), very opposite of [Waldorf School X]. There are budget cuts that have affected all but that doesn't take away the fact that the curriculum is scattered & teachers subjective. There's a new hire on campus reworking to solidify curriculum for possible implementation next year. If your child has an IEP they may surpass the kids who don't. Great resource teacher for upper grades. Either way, don't neglect keeping track of your child's progress at this school. It's hit or miss!

Posted 2007-05-04

My child has been in this school for almost 4 years, and if you are really looking for you child to get an education, make sure you know what you're getting into. I am still not happy with the results, and they don't seem to be changing anytime soon. It is very hard to get into, and [the school] is a good childcare for younger children, but [it] is not doing great in the academics. If i started over again, I would never send my child to this place.

Posted 2005-03-08

My child attended [Waldorf School X] for three years. I had hopes of a wonderful educational and social experience for my child. This school was a big disappointment. The teaching staff is predominantly uncertified, the director lives in [far away] and upper grades in elementery are combination classes. Temporary staff is brought in on a haphazard schedule to provide extracurricular classes, most never materialize. This school is very disorganized, supervision is lax and leadership is not present. Parent involvment is not allowed in the classroom however you may [provide] financial support in the way of donations or volunteer [work] at the yearly festivals. The school has been in existance for 6 years and done poorly each year on the state- and district-mandated tests. If you are looking for a day-care environment for your child, this would be the perfect place; if you want your child to receive an education, avoid [Waldorf School X].

[The following reviews were recovered after being suspiciously deleted.]

8/29/2005 

I would hesitate in sending my child tot this school unless you are completly aware of the teachings of Waldorf. It isn't as wonderful as it seems.

3/30/2008 

I had high hopes for this school, but was instead very disappointed. The school lacks leadership and the hole at the top is sorely felt throughout the school. The Waldorf theory is wonderful — but how it is put into practice is everything and this school is not what is shown in the inspiring DVD production or quick tours of the classes. The cirriculum is very slow. This cannot be emphasized enough. I understood it was slow- but I had no idea how slow 'slow' really is at [Waldorf School X]  Specifics: The administration is disorganized and events are calendared, moved and cancelled constantly. Playgound equipment was broken for six months with no one taking any lead on getting it fixed. For the first four months of the school year they rang the bell 10-15 minutes late every single day. Lots of problems and virually no leadership to get things solved. Can't reccomend it. 

5/21/2008 

We have attended the Waldorf School in [another town] as well as the [Waldorf School X]. Although good intentions abound, the much-touted arts program is run primarily by unqualified parents and looks like music will be deleted next year. For various reasons, about half the teachers will be replaced for next year. As teachers move forward each grade with their class, please be sure you know your teacher! We wish [Waldorf School X] the best, but advise caution for any new families.  

3/9/2009

My children have been at [Waldorf School X] for 4 years. The whole time I've wondered if sending them here is the right thing to do. There are so many wonderful things about the school: Wonderful teachers, a creative environment, and a very organic, holistic approach to understanding child development. However, the pace of learning is unbelievably slow and I've just learned of the big drop in test scores between 2007 and 2008. If I had it to do over again, I would definitely still send my kids here for the younger grades (kindergarten and maybe first grade), but we have decided to give our conventional local public school a try at this point. If [Waldorf School X] brings their test scores up, we will return in a few years.

11/18/2009

My son attended the school for 6 years and was asked to leave because the teacher couldn't handle a few of the children. My son is very sad and transitioning from a small school where he was with the same children for 6-years was difficult. I'm now dealing with self-esteem issues after having him in public school for only three months. I'm still looking for a place for my 7th grader. 

2/3/2010

Parents, if you are planning to enroll your child in [Waldorf School X], please know what you are getting into before you take this big step. The school is very disorganized and nobody seems to know what is going on. Nobody takes resposibility for anything. On paper and in theory this school looks ideal for all children, but once you look a little closer at the staff and the curriculm you will realize it is not what it appears to be.  

8/21/2010

Most of [the positive] reviews are written by board members and parent council. If you choose this school, make sure you get answers often and check on your child's progress.I strongly suggest observing in the classroom, I was truly shocked when I did that. The children in 8th grade cannot spell or write a complete sentence, they cannot do even the basics. They can however draw a great picture and most of them can knit and play recorder if they watch the teachers fingers, can't read words well, music not at all.

2/28/2011 by a Teacher 

Amazing our tax dollars are paying for this. A few parents somehow keep this place alive. It's a throwback to the 1960s. Promoting hate towards anyone who doesn't go along with Mr. [X].

3/27/2011 by a Teacher

The administrator is an egomaniac dictator who enjoys several perks by allowing wealthy families priority treatment during the enrollment process resulting in a loaner-Lexus, paid family vacations, etc... Faculty has joined the union because he rules the school like a smarmy televanglist with an iron fist. The board members and faculty has been directed to write flattering reviews on this website. I would never allow my child to attend this school.

Posted August 13, 2012

My daughter attended [Waldorf School X] school for 2 1/2 years. Her first year was overall a fairly successful and happy transition, which thereafter began to go downhill as my daughter became the object of bullying, which was ignored by the teacher and staff, or which my daughter was blamed for causing. Her last year was an absolutely horrible experience for our entire famiily, most of the teachers for her 6th grade year were new to the school and inept in the Waldorf method, and incapable of controlling the students. My family and family friends had to band together to ensure my daughter spent as little time on campus as possible, without one of us there to monitor, to do our best that she not come home in tears. The reaction of the staff and teachers was "all 6th grade girls get teased." I eventually reported the bullying to [the district], which seemed to make them take the matter a bit more seriously. My daughter attended a different school for 7th and 8th grade — where she is an A & B student, gifted athlete, and surrounded by friends. [Waldorf School X] was the problem! Notably, the child who bullied my daughter the most, was the child of a teacher at the school. hmmmm...... —Submitted by a parent

Posted April 18, 2012

[Waldorf School X] has the potential to be a wonderful school. The teachers are (for the most part) excellent and loving, but the administration is incompetent and dishonest. [Waldorf School X] has lost so many excellent teachers because of the lack of support from their admin. Most of the parents are lovely, but the few bad apples make everyone's life miserable. Administration gives into their demands and teachers are unable to do their jobs effectively. It's difficult to create a nurturing environment for children when the teachers are stressed-out and unhappy. If you are looking for a stable environment for your children, [Waldorf School X] is not the place. A change in administration is much needed and a better system for dealing with the ridiculous parents who believe their child can do no wrong. The school has wonderful curriculum and passionate teachers...it's a shame that all of that becomes lost in the hands of incapable leaders.

Posted February 1, 2010 - It's too bad they don't use a lottery and factor in race (like the magnet schools) to get a hetergeneous community w/in the classroom. You can have diversity committees all you want, but if children are not mixing with different races on a daily basis inside the classroom walls, then the school is not walking the talk.

Posted February 6, 2010 - I think that there is a large difference between the lower grades and the upper ones at [Waldorf School X]. While I really like the 'whole child' approach in the younger grades, the upper grades suffer from the lack of rigor in the academics. The upper grades are well behind other schools in mathematics and writing, and they rarely do such basic things as book reports. Considering this continues through the 8th grade, the students are seriously disadvantaged when they move on to the high school level. While I will agree that parent involvement is high, the parent body (and students as well) are very cliquish. In addition, while they mean well, the parents are completely disorganized. Events such as field trips or even day trips are always thrown haphazardly together at the last minute, or cancelled due to lack of planning.

Posted March 18, 2010 - The school is not orriented, or particularly friendly or accepting, of dual-parent working households, or single-parent working households. Parents who cannot spend as much time on campus or at school events, or donate as much time and money, are ostracized by this cliqueish 'community' and that trickles down to the way students are treated and treat each other. The school espouses to have liberal, child-friendly values, but in practice is elitist and unwelcoming. My child will not return next year.

Posted June 4, 2010 - From initial observations, [Waldorf School X] is a wonderful place for learning, most especially in the younger grades. But upon a closer review of the school organization, the administration, faculty and community meetings, and the relationships among the students, one begins to observe some major problems within this charter school organization. To begin with, the administrtative team of Mrs. [X] and Mrs. [Y] (neither of whom possess proper Admin. Credentials), have a gross reputation of incompetence among the faculty. These two self-empowered individuals blatantly disguise their ineptitude with smiles and other deceitful pleasantries. One egregious example is the fact that new teachers are not provided with a school handbook with accountable policies about the curriculum and for professional evaluations. As a result, the Administration operates under a very non-transparent screen that allows them to make decisions with no managerial oversight or accountability. Look closely & you'll be sadly surprised.

Posted September 9, 2010 - I would really like to hear someone speak to the fact that the parents of so many returning 6th graders have chosen to leave [Waldorf School X] this year.

Posted September 16, 2010 - [Waldorf School X] had great potential. When it first opened, it relied heavily on parent involvement, not just for their own children's experience but for the development of the school. Teachers and parents working together to actually create a school — just what the charter movement is about. The current board chair and administrators as leaders have hidden everything with their goal of running a school with no interference from anyone. With them at the helm, parents have no voice but are only asked for money and sweat. The biggest problem is that they have no professional capacity to run a school and the result is that every year, half the teachers leave. And forget the middle school — no resources devoted to it and new teachers constantly coming in.

Posted October 15, 2010 - Give me a break! [Review X] is verbatim what the advertising materials of the school say. Certainly not a spontaneous parent review.

Posted February 24, 2011 - In reading the reviews from 2005-2009, I really must say how great we thought the school would become, but alas [there was a] 50-point drop in STAR, and more then half the 6th grade left rather then suffer another year of ineptitude, and more left at the spring/fall semester shift. The middle school is a sinking and stinking ship with an administration that covers their inability to lead with "concerned" nods and "smiles" and [then they] fire most of the middle school teachers year after year.

Posted June 7, 2011 - [Waldorf School X] is a lovely place and there is a really nice community here. The plants and gardens are beautiful. Parental involvement is huge for fundraising and community events. Waldorf curriculum is gentle and loving, although the Waldorf rituals can feel secretive. What really disappoints me though is the lack of academic substance in the upper grades. I was told that Waldorf starts slow in the lower grades (which I love and think is done well at [Waldorf School X]) then soars past conventional schools in the upper elementary school grades, but this is not happening at [Waldorf School X]. The administration is unresponsive and unapologetic about this. I know a number of parents who are very troubled by the slacking academics and are pulling their children out, paying for private tutors or doing semi-homeschooling because they know their children are behind and are missing out. It's a great school if you want a nurturing, progressive community and a beautiful school, but if your child loves to learn and you want them to have a good, solid academic education, this is not the place. Transfers out of [Waldorf School X] say that their children were significantly behind. I don't know how this warrants an 8 rating.

Posted November 16, 2011 - lovely school...if you are rich. don't go if you're not!!!!! the principal told a homeless mom 'have a nice vacation". pretty sure homelessness is not a vacation!

S. F.

9/13/2013

Let me break it down for you.

If you are looking for a good school that has it's P's and Q's together..

If you are looking for a school with an honest administration..

If you are looking for reliable staff..

This isn't the place for you.

I've worked at this school and I have to say that the lack of guidance that this school has is incredible. Given the fact that they have moved this school twice in the past 2 years should say a lot about how insecure it really is. They have had office staff write report cards for teachers that were fired in the middle of the year. They have bake sales, knowing full well that they cannot sell the food without the district's permission, but do it anyway. (they have to have the bake sales or else their school will go bankrupt). Their campus on [X] Blvd is literally falling apart. They have ceiling panels that may fall down and hit a child, [there are] roaches, mice, other vermin running around the campus. They have exposed electrical outlets in the children's bathrooms. They have office staff that openly discusses their partying, drinking, sex and drug use in the front office in front of children and parents. They lie during IEPs to receive additional funding from the state and [the district]. They constantly cut their employees' paychecks so that they keep the lights on at the end of the day. They were turned down to build a campus because the [district] board hates them. 

Do not waste your time trying to get into this school, even if you are desperate. I am not saying that all people that work here are like what I outlined here, because they aren't. There are a few people that really are passionate about their jobs and what they believe in. Unfortunately, those people are not the Directors of the school. Take my advice for what it's worth, but keep in mind that I did see, witness, and hear every last one of these things firsthand.

J. B.

4/15/2013

[Waldorf School X] is by far the WORST SCHOOL EVER! First off, the kids are mean and cuss, telling your child horrible things. Also the the teachers are the worst — they pretend to be nice to the parents and then they are mean to the kids. My son's teacher would call on kids that were not raising there hand. DON'T SEND YOUR CHILD HERE!!!

Posted April 12, 2012

My son went to eighth grade at [Waldorf School X]. It was an awful experience for us, his teacher was incredibly inept. If there is a problem, the staff blame the student for anything that is less than satisfactory. The special ed is especially lacking. —Submitted by a parent

B.C.

4/28/2013

Send your child to this school only if you are elitist, hypocritical, and ready to support institutionalized bias. This school claims to be Waldorf. However, it is nothing more than a way for upper-middle class parents to get out of paying for private Waldorf education. If there is a problem at the school, be ready for the teachers and administrators to accuse the parent first of bad parenting and not even look at the fact that they are violating civil rights by not supplying children with IEPs with the appropriate accommodations. The teachers here have no idea what it means to make a lesson plan and adapt it to meet the needs of children. This school claims not to care about testing, yet a few years ago, one of their best teachers was put through a public witch hunt for testing irregularities. This school is supposed to be about teaching critical thinking, yet the model that is given to the children at this school is that you don't complain or have a different opinion than the teachers, administrators, or other parents. Research the school yourself and see how many of their teachers actually have more than an AA from a community college and some Waldorf training. True Waldorf teaching is about an occult philosophy which none of these parents even know about. The parents who previously made yelp reviews only see the face-painting, wooden swords, and magic wands. They don't see the teachers yelling at kids constantly, the make-shift committees created to drum up diversity and then dropped as soon as three families of color enroll, and how some friends of [Waldorf School X] parents "magically" get in through the lottery on their first try. Uh-hmmm. 

6/4/16

2/5 stars

I am surprised that nobody has reviewed this school in years. The school is a teacher run school. So, don't go against the grain. Most teachers will take off at least 20 days during the school year. The school gets lots of students, b/c the campus is beautiful. What you will receive when you get there is very little education. Most families stay only b/c there are no great options in [this city], if you don't want a public school. Kids who leave are known to repeat a grade, or need tutoring to catch up. The richness of Waldorf is usually other things they teach. Their subject teachers are the worst. Class size is 30-33. Classes are mostly uncontrollable. Ask around about the reputation before buying the beautiful tour. Our class lost 15 out of the original 30 students.

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