This is my son's 3rd year at Seattle Waldorf. We love our school. The school is a beautiful community where my child is seen and nurtured. Teachers and administrators are very creative and supportive in their work with all children. My child has greatly benefited from the large beating heart of this school. He's engaged in every class and is happy and excited to go to school. He's learned so much and the pace is thoughtful and age appropriate. Not only is he learning academically he's also made huge leaps socially and emotionally. He's grateful to get the chance to be outside and also creating with his hands every day. His experience in this community is helping him develop a rich depth of knowledge and self worth that will be something he can rely on for the rest of his life. read more

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We've had a wonderful experience at this school. The teachers are passionate and genuinely care about each child's academic and social-emotional growth. The curriculum is well rounded, thoughtfully integrating arts, sciences, and social studies in a way that keeps students engaged and inspired. In the days of AI, this kind of education truly helps students build resilience and strong critical-thinking skills. I'm so happy with my child's development--she enjoys going to school every day and is genuinely enthusiastic about learning. We feel very fortunate to be part of this community." read more

A life changing experience for my children and family. Rather than just an extraordinary school, it became a community that sustained our family for over 20 years. The beautiful curriculum is like nothing else I have ever experienced. This type of education is the answer to the mental health crisis our cultures youth is experiencing today. My children have the richest foundation of community, art, music, nature and academics. One of the best decisions I made for my children. read more

My child has been attending this school for 2.5 years. Initially, we hadn't considered Waldorf education--mainly due to a lack of familiarity--but a friend with a similarly aged child recommended it, and it turned out to be a perfect fit for us. Our child had previously experienced some violent incidents at another school during their early education, and we were seeking a soft landing to help them transition from homeschooling to day school. As high-achieving adults who greatly value education, my partner and I compared what our child is receiving at Waldorf to other schools. We found that while the academic content isn't materially different, it's delivered in a supportive environment that keeps our child engaged in learning, physical activity, art, and music--without forcing them to be something they're not. It's definitely worth a visit. I was moved to tears during my first time on campus, seeing the beautiful lush trees and open playground--as opposed to the harsh concrete, blacktop, and road noise of prior schools. You can feel your nervous system relax. There's so much to love about the main campus--from the fairy forest for the youngest children to the gardens, softly painted classrooms, craft rooms, and hidden forest hideaways. I recommend getting to know the teacher who will be with your child throughout their entire experience. We feel like we hit the jackpot with ours; just five minutes with them assured us they would be the grounded and reassuring presence our child needed. There's also an opportunity for students to have a visit day in the spring, which can be very informative. While there are Christian influences (our family is not Christian), we've found the school to be quite progressive, actively updating the curriculum and culture to align with modern views on inclusion and equity. Holidays from many religions and cultures are celebrated, and a few traditions dear to the history of the method are lightly retained. Although the Waldorf High School has now closed, I spoke to many of the students as they set off for a wide array of colleges and universities. What I saw were young people who felt comfortable advocating for themselves, pursuing topics they loved rather than what they felt obligated to endure, and who were high-achieving yet very caring individuals. I wouldn't want anything else for my child. We've experienced many types of schooling--public, private, homeschool, online, highly capable programs--and there's no perfect solution. What works today might not work tomorrow. Every child is different. Find what works for your child and embrace it. We have loved this school and everyone we've engaged with from it. It's a community of people who care deeply about the holistic development of children and ensuring their love of learning is kept alive. read more

Creative, progressive, welcoming and holistic. The whole child is educated, with attention to who they are as an individual, and fostering deep relationships with teachers and peers. Beautiful building, campus and wonderful festivals as well. read more

I wish public schools were structured more like Waldorf. The program blends arts and crafts with education, and encourages families to cut media (TV, Video Games) from their homes and focus on social interactions and authentic experiences. Not as good as a Waldorf program out in the country with access to the wilderness and/or farm, but does an excellent job of creating a natural space within the city. read more

Seattle Waldorf School - Preschools Near Me - Seattle, Washington

My children have been at Waldorf School for 2 years. We were enchanted with the schoolhouse and the teaching and outdoor education model, as it was decribed to us. The culture is nostalgic. It is placing children in a bubble meant to resmeble a german schoolhouse - ocurring perhaps in the 1600s? No books or modern technology. Beeswax molding, cider pressing, making butter, and felting are taught. It is charming and magical at the start. However, my children came home playing "master and slave" and when I asked the teacher about how her students of color (2 in a class of 15) might feel about this- she told me that she had never considered this before. This was not our only experience in this regard. Nostlagia has its pros and cons. This teacher is also unrelentingly negative about her students and their parents. I spoke to her supervisor about it to see if she was going through a rough time or if this was just her personality - the supervisor's response was that she is known as a "sad sack". Honest (pro) but perhaps she should not be teaching children (con)? We are now trying to transition our kids to a regular first grade this year. However, because they have not had any instruction in reading or writing or math and have not had a regular schoolroom setting - we have been advised (by 4 schools) that our kids may have a tough time this year in transitioning. In addition, I would like to note that the school administration treated us very poorly. They are $ driven as many private schools are. If they think for an instant that you may not continue in the next yesr, they will drop you like a hot potato. Lesson learned on our part. Drink the coolaid and promise to stay with Waldorf forever and you will be fine. I gave this school 2 stars because the outdoor aspects of the program and the oral storytelling were very good. However, I cannot in good conscience give this school more than 2 stars for the reasons noted above. Please consider the following website before continuing with Waldorf: https://sites.google.com/site/waldorfwatch/cautionary-tales read more

My child attended Seattle Waldorf school from 1st grade to middle school. The school was wonderful experience for our first grader. However as the children grew the school wasn't able to provide any discipline and bullying became an issue. The school believes children should figure out their relationships by themselves and refuses to address bullying. read more

The Seattle Waldorf School is a hidden gem tucked back into a beautiful setting. We've enjoyed our time in the parent/tot program and are over the moon happy with the preschool program. Our little one is thriving and happy and experiencing early childhood as it should be. With the most wonderful teacher imaginable, he is growing leaps and bounds while feeling loved and safe and excited to learn. read more

Beautiful school for preschool. Run for your life from 1st grade on! Yes, indeed, some very bright kids learn on their own. A lot of kids don't, and the families leave under very bad circumstances, after being told the problem is the kids. Nope. The problem is assuming every child will learn the Waldorf way, through osmosis. Before signing on, find out how many teachers had to be replaced, how many kids have left without learning the basics, are kids really learning spanish and japanese as the school advertises, or do they end up in first year spanish or japanese when going into high school, how do these kids do when entering a high school outside the system, what is the real acceptance rate when these kids apply for college - not the standardized list of schools circulated throughout the Waldorf system? There are many good things about the school, but the bad outweighs them. Educate yourself before enrolling your child. Dig deep, before rolling the dice and sending your child to a school with big problems. Then take the money you'll save and put it to better use. read more