Minnesota Waldorf School

70 County Road B E

Maplewood, MN 55117

19 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK, K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on July 26, 2022

We have had our two kids in MN Waldorf for 5 years now. I can't stress enough how important and valuable MN Waldorf has been for their development, especially in these past two challenging years. It is an extremely nurturing environment, partly a product of the small class sizes, but also because of how Waldorf education focuses on empowering each individual child and building confidence. Instead of using and thinking about screens, they are learning to knit, craft, set the table, story tell, garden, and on an on. The result is curious, capable, confident kids.
Submitted by parent on September 27, 2020

Fantastic! The teachers really care and do there best to help every child suceed!
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2018

We have two daughters that have attended this school since kindergarten. Currently, one is a sophomore in high school, and the other is still enrolled in the upper grades. Both of them have a love for learning and school in general that you just don't see much today. The hands on approach creates creative out-of-the box thinkers that don't rely on technology to entertain themselves.
Submitted by parent on September 13, 2018

Excellent teachers and staff. Caution if you do not plan of keeping your children at the school for the full 1st -8th grade. They will be far behind the public school curriculum if they enter public school after attending MWS. Students are well adjusted for high school, so I hear, once they leave MWS after 8th grade. A wonderful school and a beautiful education if you're in it for the long haul.
Submitted by parent on November 05, 2016

My two children have attended Minnesota Waldorf School for four years. We made the decision to have them attend a Waldorf school after seeing a friend's (now adult) daughter's experience in a California Waldorf school. Both children have thrived at MWS and are happy and excited to go to school every morning. The mixed ages Kindergarten is wonderful. My oldest attended it for one year, and my youngest is in her third (and final) year. I love that my youngest begins every day with a nature walk and spends most of her day engaging in outdoor and creative play. The early childhood staff are warm, nurturing, and empathetic. Our experience with grade 1 and up has been equally awesome. Waldorf teachers stay with one class from grades 1-8, and this has allowed both our daughter, my ex-husband, and myself to form a deeper relationship with her teacher than we could have in just one year. Class sizes are small and, in part due to the mixed ages Kindergarten, children form friendships across grades. Lessons about friendship, sharing, and caring for our planet are built into the academics, which are presented in a creative and engaging manner. Each year the third grade class is responsible for caring for the school's chickens—a responsibility my daughter and her friends really enjoy. At one of our first grade class parent meetings, my daughter's teacher communicated that that spring the class had been having an increase in behavioral problems. Her response was to ask herself what she could do differently, and so she began taking them on a daily walk again (a regular part of the Kindergarten classes' routine). This emphasis on outdoor play and the whole child is one of the primary differences between Waldorf education and the test-based focus currently common in public schools. MWS is a great community. I love being part of a community of families with shared values (no/limited screen time for young children, outdoor play, art, music, recess, natural and organic foods, tolerance, emphasis on reduce, reuse, recycle). The support of its teachers, staff, and other parents has been invaluable.
Submitted by other on February 15, 2016

This school is an amazing education for human development and nurturing the whole child. It has made our 3 children better people in all aspects of life.
Submitted by parent on February 12, 2016

I couldn't dream up a more nurturing place for my daughter to go to school.
Submitted by other on February 12, 2016

I am incredibly impressed with the staff and parent community at MWS. The curriculum is so thoughtfully delivered to the children - each lesson addresses my child at her developmental level and celebrates her as a unique individual. The students get loads of recess on 8 acres of beautiful land with groves of trees and gorgeous views and there is NO HIGH STAKES TESTING! The children enjoy the school day, creating, playing, sharing and learning. My daughter is standing strong at 9 years old - healthy, happy and full of the knowledge of who she is. Take a tour - it's an amazing place.
Submitted by parent on September 06, 2015

From the first time my daughter saw the school, met her teacher, and began interacting with her (future) classmates, we knew this was the right school for her. It shares our values and is a true community!
Submitted by parent on October 11, 2014

I really have nothing good to say about this school. Do your research before sending your children here. The school is lacking in many areas.
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2014

This school has helped our daughter become an incredibly gifted and capable young woman. She is able to comprehend ideas and thoughts way further than most 16 year olds. MN Waldorf gave her the skills she needed to become a whole citizen in these fast paced times. The lack of "technology" in the classroom really helps facilitate it in the later years. These children are great people when they leave the school and ready for anything the world brings them. The teaching staff is second to none.
Submitted by parent on April 30, 2014

My kids LOVE to go to school and they receive tons of compliments on being well rounded. The Minnesota Waldorf School has an amazing core curriculum of math, science, language arts, and humanities, as well as music, art, recess, foreign language, gym, recess. In addition to all this the material is presented at just the right time and in just the right way so that the process is fun and meaningful to the children. I wish I had gone to the Minnesota Waldorf school. The only thing I wish is that more people knew about it .
Submitted by parent on April 29, 2014

Curriculum is fashioned around the child's developmental stage rather than external testing. A wonderful place for a child to grow into who they are meant to be.
Submitted by parent on April 09, 2014

I have 2 children that attend(ed) MN Waldorf. My daughter is a Jr. at our neighborhood public school. She just told me that she misses Waldorf, after seeing her brother's 8th grade research presentation. Compared to public schools, I feel MN Waldorf has given my children the ability to think outside of the box, be excited about learning, and take in information through their whole being. Yes, Waldorf is a commitment for 8+ years; children are expected to act a certain way, to not engage in media, and to learn "old " handwork skills. We have found that it has created thoughtful, individual children who are ready to interact with the world around them.
Submitted by parent on March 25, 2014

My son comes home from school excited about learning every day, initiating and creating his own "homework" with inquisitive questions seeded through his experience at MWS. Outdoor and freeplay time are balanced with acedemics, particularly benefiting boys allowing for movement and healthy brain development. The children create their own games on the playground developing healthy social skills on the beautiful 8 acre campus. The arts are blended into all the acedemics, including math, my son's favorite subject. The children's best interests are held by a caring and dedicated staff. The parent body and community are mature, supportive, and raising their children in wholesome, healthy ways. My son LOVES school!
Submitted by parent on May 14, 2012

We have sent both our children here and find that they are very prepared emotionally and academically for high school. The approach to education is joyful and rich therefore the students stay curious and motivated to learn. The adjustment to high school was smooth despite transitioning to a format focused on grades.
Submitted by parent on March 28, 2012

My daughter is student here. The campus is beautiful, the teachers are caring and my daughter is learning a classical education infused with arts. She plays the flute and Viola, speaks French, and gets to explore and play outside every single day. I could not be more pleased. If you are not familiar with Waldorf education, I would encourage you to take a tour. :) Also, an observation: It is very interesting to read the critical reviews on here that do not seem at all accurate.. at least not in my experience (4th years here) - not only is my daughter learning things way before her 2 friends down the street (catholic/public schools), but she also is learning extras you don t find in public schools. Yes, young children are taught to draw and write in a certain way, (this is integral in Waldorf education a sound mastery of basics allows for creativity in later years.. My guess is the reviewers had different expectations of a Waldorf Education. For instance, I don t believe you can get upset that a Catholic school for teaching religion if you didn t already know that was going to happen, you didn t do your research!
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2012

A wonderful choice. This school and its curriculum are truly one of the best gifts you can give to your child. We have a daughter who graduated two years ago and successfully moved into a rigorous program of study at a large public high school. Our younger daughter is now in 7th grade and continues to thrive. As we approach our 12th and final year as parents at this school, we now feel as certain as ever that the Waldorf pedagogy and the school's welcoming community have played an important and necessary role in the development of our daughters' character and intelligence. This is not to say that we never had doubts, because it's hard sometimes not to get swept into the "push-push-push" message of increasing academic demands at earlier and earlier ages. Our daughters' inquisitive natures, love of learning, and achievements across diverse school settings, however, have provided us with the confidence to recommend Minnesota Waldorf School without hesitation. You won't regret it!
Submitted by parent on May 26, 2007

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