1. Mingus Union High School

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Cottonwood, AZ

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Mingus Union High School

3.0 (2 reviews)

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8 years ago

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8 years ago

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Desert Star Community School - May pole

Desert Star Community School

2.4(8 reviews)
6.7 mi

I'm not sure what the reviewer below is talking about. This is the only school where my daughter…read morehas felt safe. There is a notable lack of bullying, fighting and "mean girl" exclusion. Neurodiversity is respected. It's hard not to be struck by the politeness and downright friendliness of the kids, even the teens, who will stop to greet you on campus. Sometimes children will come into the school disregulated, but they soon fall into line with the overall pleasant and respectful culture of the place. It's actually inspiring to watch the teachers work their magic without much need for punitive discipline. And the principal uses a process of Conscious Discipline to resolve disputes and bring children back into the fold of the school community if there are bigger problems. This is a public Waldorf school, and I was surprised to find that such a small, rural school with no tuition fees had nearly the full Waldorf line up of special classes and activities. In fact, Desert Star has proven to be better in terms of traditional Waldorf curriculum, teacher quality and school culture than the top private Waldorf schools we have attended previously. Desert Star offers Music from first grade/Strings from fifth grade, Second Language starting in 1st grade, Knitting/crochet/sewing/spinning, Painting/Figure Drawing, Sculpting, Drama, Cooking, Gardening, Woodworking, Building, Speech and Debate, Movement, Archery and Medieval Games/Pentathlon as well as the wonderful Waldorf Festivals, Virtues Curriculum, and incredible Field Trips including an 8th Grade trip to Catalina Island for ecological education. This in addition to holistic, experiential academic instruction provided by highly educated and experienced teachers. Waldorf is not for everyone, but if holistic, arts-infused education is right for your family, I highly recommend Desert Star.

There is a huge lack of services available at this school. There is no school cafeteria, the school…read morewill overcharge you for bus service and afterschool care. There is no school nurse, and the school has no contingency plan in place to address sick children or even minor illnesses (like a headache, for example) other than calling the parent to immediately pick up the child. There is no school counselor or psychologist. In the event of student difficulties, teachers will just air whatever half-baked pop psychology trivia they saw on Facebook and hope for the best, instead of actually addressing issues with maturity, understanding, and empathy. There is a dearth of extracurricular activities available to the children. The music "class" is an absolute joke. The children don't get to play any instruments other than beat up, secondhand recorders and cheap drums. How do you expect to inspire children in conditions like these? Already, in fourth grade, in public school, I was able to try many different instruments at school including piano, clarinet, violin, and flute, as well as play in bands and learn lots of different songs under the direction of a trained and experienced music teacher. The children at Desert Star don't get anything like this. I don't see any reflection of Waldorf values in the teaching or administration of this school. The administration has been known to falsify student attendance records to the state in order to maintain school funding. If the teachers were amazing, maybe there's a chance all of these other things could be overlooked, but they are not. There are children in 7th and 8th grade, who, by their teachers' own admission, don't know how to do even basic math. How are these students expected to go on to high school like this? At that age, I had already learned algebra. In short, if you care about your child's wellbeing and education, send them anywhere but Desert Star.

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Desert Star Community School - Chalkboard art

Chalkboard art

Desert Star Community School - Garden

Garden

Desert Star Community School - Main lesson book

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Main lesson book

Mingus Union High School - highschools - Updated October 2026

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