Walden is good for a specific type of kid. A kid who needs a smaller, more personalized environment for academic success without needing a lot of emotional or medical support. One of my friends had an F in math before she went to Walden that they helped her bring up to a B. I am leaving a 3 star review because I had a very mixed experience at Walden, but I recognize that it's a great environment for some students.
I went to Walden just a few weeks after being discharged from a therapeutic boarding school in Utah. It was a very rough transition for me, and Walden both helped and hurt. The other students were great, and the small size was much better for an autistic kid than a traditional public school. However, the teachers and administration were not very understanding. I know that they can only do so much to help an emotionally struggling teen, but they could have practiced more of what they taught: empathy. I had issues with showing off, but instead of talking to me about it and correcting me in the moment, administration talked to my parents about expelling me. It would have been different if they'd corrected me and I hadn't changed, but they didn't even try to give me feedback.
Academics were decent. Great for kids who need a personalized curriculum. But I noticed that when I transferred to virtual public school, I was learning things that I should have learned in Algebra 1 in Algebra 2. They make it very hard to go to a school with a different curriculum, and that leads to some kids falling behind.
They claimed to have extracurriculars that they didn't have. When I was there, they just had a dance class with a very unempathetic and ableist teacher. I was on a med that gave me significant side effects, including heatstroke susceptibility. Towards the end of the school year, we were doing a very physical dance outside, and I noticed symptoms of heat illness. When I asked the dance teacher to take a break, she refused because it was a partner dance and I couldn't leave my partner. She then said that she was proud of me for doing things even when I got hot, despite me saying many times that what she was making me do was a health hazard. I arrived at home that day and crashed on my bed, sleeping for about 2 hours. I now know that what I was experiencing was heat exhaustion. Easily preventable if the dance teacher had allowed me a break.
All in all, this school has its pros and cons. Great social environment and personalized academics, but lack of understanding of students who struggle medically and emotionally. Some kids excel at Walden, others don't. If considering this school, make sure your kid is the type to excel there. read more