Walden School

74 South San Gabriel Boulevard

Pasadena, CA 91107

29 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-6
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on March 30, 2022

Walden is fantastic and we couldn't have found a better place for our daughter to attend elementary school. The school lives its progressive and developmental mission and goals through daily practice. It provides an environment filled with challenge, support, warmth and humor while opening children's minds and hearts to the world and each other. We watched our child become more inquisitive, more confident, more inspired and wiser while there. The only thing to caution you about is that it will be hard to find a middle-school that lives up to the Walden experience! Now in middle-school, we often hear how impressed our daughter’s teachers are with the quality of her intellectual contributions, confidence and work ethic, and we have Walden to thank for getting her ready for this next phase of her education and life.
Submitted by parent on August 18, 2021

We love Walden! The Walden Philosophy, curriculum and approach has met my son at every stage of his development. We are a multiracial family and we feel seen and supported as parents and find the community at the school inviting and inclusive. I’mcurious why the Great Schools algorithm lists everyone as white because Walden is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse schools we toured and they are on the forefront of educating children about the injustices that exist in the world in a way that makes sense for kids. They will be the first to tell you that they are always working on this and the curriculum is proof of this. Our son has attended since Kindergarten and is now in 4th grade. We are so impressed with his academic and social growth. Even through COVID, the transition online and then the offerings of distance and hybrid programs were so intentional, they didn’t miss a beat! It was really incredible! We are very happy and grateful to be a part of the Walden family.
Submitted by parent on April 20, 2021

During my child's tenure at the school, there were major safety concerns that I attempted to address. I alerted leadership to the issues that I believed did merit immediate attention and became the unwanted focus of hostility as a result. One assistant staff member even began shouting at me unprovoked on the playground and another staff member had to physically restrain her she appeared to be so out-of-control with rage. It would be of importance to investigate the historical record of safety incidents on the playground in specific. At the time my child was in attendance, I am not clear if all the teaching staff were licensed and credentialed. Certainly, the academics were not on par with other private schools or public schools in other districts. The tuition was quite exorbitant and not worth the investment over years so I opted to move to another city and enroll my son in a public school district. At the time of my child's enrollment, there were incessant requests for "voluntary donations" with wish lists in addition to the expensive tuition. I would not recommend this school and would not seek an alternate option to a public school district by choosing Walden.
Submitted by parent on January 17, 2019

Top notch! My daughter had the pleasure of being at Walden from pre-K through 6th grade. She happily transitioned to a challenging academic middle school. Not only was she prepared academically, but she had the social and emotional skills to navigate a new situation. Her curiosity and ability to question are two qualities that Walden fostered; they are qualities that her current teachers remark upon because they are assets in her current class.
Submitted by other on July 02, 2017

Walden School has a very dedicated and intelligent staff and leadership. The students learn not only academics but how to be a good citizen and friend. This is truly a school where the whole child matters, and the school lives by its mission purposefully every day.
Submitted by other on March 06, 2017

I have known Walden School for over 25 years. My two (now grown) children attended Walden and now are successful businessmen in the community. What each of them got at Walden was a solid foundation and recognition and nurturance as unique individuals. They went on to junior and senior high school and college fully prepared and fully confident in themselves. Our family will always be grateful to the dedicated staff of Walden School with its philosophy of providing a garden where everyone can grow. God knows we need intelligent, creative thinkers in this challenging land of ours, especially now. Over the years I witnessed Walden "growing up" its staff; from assistant teachers becoming lead teachers, to lead teachers becoming assistant directors or Head of School. I personally have known the current Head of School, Terra Toscano, since she first came to Walden as an Assistant Teacher. She was a lead teacher and Curriculum Director before she was selected by a diverse search committee to be Head of School. Walden is fortunate to have Terra; she embodies the strength and spirit of the school. Most of the staff, lead, assistant and specialty teachers have been at Walden for many years; there is little turn-over. This has allowed for a community of educators who trust each other; they work together with the students always at the center. My advice to those of you reading Great Schools and trying to decide where to send your little one: go visit schools, check out the kids in the classrooms; are they happy?, talk to a teacher, go to a school event, observe interactions, how do YOU feel about the place? Trust your intuition and your heart. And relax; you'll find the right place for your family.
Submitted by other on March 03, 2017

Walden school equipped me with the tools I needed to be a respectful and unique contributor to my community and encouraged me to reach for the stars. I learned how to treat people equally and respect everyone and everything in my environment. I have only succeeded in my life because of the life values Walden taught me and the encouragement and support they have given me throughout my 6 years at walden and the 9 years since. With Terra Toscano as the new leading force , the school can only get better.
Submitted by other on March 03, 2017

Walden provides students with an education that goes beyond the common core. At Walden, students learn to be strong, independent thinkers who go on to be informed and engaged members of their community. I strongly believe that the education I received as a child at Walden was the cornerstone to my future academic and personal success in the life.
Submitted by parent on March 03, 2017

As a current Walden parent as well as the parent of three Walden graduates, I feel well qualified to speak about the past, present and future of this excellent progressive educational institution. The Walden School of Pasadena has given all of our children the gift of confidence. Confidence in the act of inquiry, confidence in collaboration, confidence in social justices and, more than anything, confidence in themselves as strong independent individuals. As I think about the ever-changing world our children are inheriting, it reinforces for me the importance of the values a Walden education instills in its students through the schools mission. Based on my almost two decades of experience continually having students at Walden school, the commitment from our Head of school, faculty and administration to the Walden mission is stronger then it has ever been. With this commitment and exceptional leadership there is nowhere else in the San Gabriel Valley that I would want my children to be in school for these most important developmental years of their education.
Submitted by parent on February 21, 2017

My child has been at Walden for 6 years thus far. He has been nurtured, understood, helped, supported and basically loved in ways that I could not have expected. The teachers go the extra mile for every kid and family and there is a great community of parents. Having an only child, the sense of belonging and ownership in the school was important for my child and for us as parents. In terms of the school being progressive - I find it to be a wonderful blend. All the small and large ways that the school and curriculum are child focused is great. However, there is a structure to the school that make it a more moderate progressive school. It's been a great mix for my kid - he has freedom to pursue what he wants, but structure to ground him. For example, they do research projects in 2/3. They are presented in so many ways - some games, dioramas, videos, posters. Each kid can come up with their own topic and the way they want to present it and it all works. The kids are proud to show off their work at open house. I also love that the school is very environmentally conscious - a garden, composting, trashless lunches, a rainwater harvesting system are some of the many ways kids learn stewardship for the school and their environment. Thank you Walden
Submitted by parent on February 16, 2017

I have to agree with the post below that Walden is not truly "progressive." When we first came to Walden, Terra Toscano told us that a Walden education was based on balance, and it was clear that their approach has evolved with time. This has been our experience for three years. While staying true to its values, Walden is not afraid of change, if they believe it is the right thing for their students. This is why our family chose the school, and it is why we continue to stay there. This is what we have come to believe a progressive education should be, and when we came to Walden 3 years ago, they defined for us what this looked like at their school. Progressive ideals such as an emphasis on social responsibility, democracy, collaboration, problem-solving and critical thinking, expeditionary learning, and service to others are taught through the academic program to make social progress. The academic program is unfolded for children at a level and pace that has felt intentional and individualized for our child. We absolutely LOVE the specialty classes! Since kindergarten, our child works at an accelerated level in math, calls himself a reader and a writer, and loves to go to school every day. In a time in our history when our personal ideals and examples for our children are being challenged every day, we have found our community at Walden in the leadership, the faculty, the parent body and the students.
Submitted by other on February 16, 2017

We have been attending Walden since our first child entered PreK at 3 years old, and he is now 9 and in 3rd grade. Our second child is already in Kindergarten now, and we are very happy here. The respect that is shown for each child, the way teachers take the time to build relationships with each of their students, and the balance between structure and choice all give me peace of mind, knowing that our children are cared for, as well as pushed to do their best. Being our 6th year at Walden, we have seen some growth and transition take place. We are thrilled with the recent hire of Terra Toscano as Director! She has literally grown up at Walden, having started something like 18 or 20 years ago at the "Village" (awesome after-school program), then progressing to Assistant Teacher in different classrooms, and later, as she continued to pursue her own education, she stepped into a Lead Teacher position. A few years ago, after a rigorous hiring process, Terra was hired as Director of Studies/Curriculum. This seemed to be a great position for her, as she appeared to connect well with the teachers, and offered a good balance to the Director at the time, Matt Allio. From our perspective it seemed like the natural evolution of things for her to take on the Director position when Matt left last year. She became the Interim Director, as she knows the culture of the school and is completely saturated in the school's mission statement and philosophy, and things have been moving smoothly it seems. About a month or two ago Terra was offered the position of Director, and we are happy and relieved that she accepted.Each of our children's teachers have been unique and had a great passion for what they do. Teachers seem to be happy to work with parents, and always working to extend their learning with workshops and trainings to keep up with all the changes happening in education these days. We are happy to say that our children are receiving a well-rounded, exciting, nurturing, and appropriately challenging elementary education.
Submitted by parent on February 05, 2017

I lack confidence in the new leadership at this school. Terra does not have the experience to lead the school successfully, nor do I feel she is equipped to best serve the students. As we have seen, she lacks the ability to adequately assess teacher quality, ensure cohesive academics, or ensure adequate support services. Furthermore, Walden is not truly progressive. The school claims a progressive model, and maybe once upon a time it was, but when you get into the classroom, it is a very different story. Only 3-4 teachers in the lower core (younger students) truly have progressive classrooms. The rest teach more traditionally. The open classroom space (no desks, etc...), makes it look all pretty and progressive, but the experience tends toward traditional. While it is nice that the school allows teacher freedom, there is no cohesiveness. If I am paying for a progressive education, my child should have that experience regardless of the classroom in which they are placed and throughout their time at the school.Our family will be looking at other schools for the upcoming year.
Submitted by other on November 27, 2016

Walden is filled with fabulous teachers and they care about the students. It is a wonderful school with two teachers in each class to really support the students!
Submitted by parent on November 21, 2016

Walden has educated my two children from Pre-K/Kindergarten. My eldest child graduated sixth grade and is now at a rigorous independent middle school. She is getting top grades like many of her peers. The nuance in that earning the top grade is not her goal, but a deep and multi-layered understanding of the topic/subject being learned, a way of learning fostered during her Walden years. Her middle school science teacher observed that she could immediately relate a biological process to the real world...I attribute that to the multiple opportunities at Walden for experiential learning. The reading and writing program is exceptional and quite sophisticated - Walden provided my children space to find their own unique voice writing in many genres, and modeled their respect for other voices too. In a progressive oriented school, without an emphasis on rote testing and formal grades such as "A", "B", "C" to hang your hat on and quantify, there can be times of existential crisis- is this the right education? But fear not, much is marinating, and the result, at least for me, has been two very different children with a strong and solid foundation that will serve them well not only in their future educational career, but in life.
Submitted by other on November 19, 2016

Walden is an elementary school that cares about each child as an individual. This has been our experience with all three of our children. All three are unique in their approach to learning, and the teachers have taken the time to help them figure out their strengths and weaknesses, and challenge them appropriately. Two have gone on to "top" middle school and high schools in the area, and if you ask the local middle schools what Walden kids bring to their campuses their answer is overwhelmingly they have their own voice, character and curiosity. They know how to learn, but they also know how to be a good friend. It's rare to find a place that emphasizes both, and our family is lucky to have found Walden.
Submitted by other on November 30, 2015

More a parents' club than school. If you have the money, you can be in with the in crowd at this school. The progressive approach is great. The teachers are great. The afterschool crew is awesome. That said, we moved our son to a small Catholic school (never thought we'd do that in a million years) and he is much more part of a community and much more challenged. We are all happier.
Submitted by parent on June 25, 2015

They really need to work on their academics. I don't want to write too many personal details here, but after surveying local teachers and school admin, the reputation of these students being ill prepared is often the case. I would suggest every parent to do this before sending their child here.
Submitted by parent on July 15, 2014

With much intention, we selected a Progressive model of education for our children s elementary school experience. Curious and articulate children, we felt they would thrive in the inquiry-based approach. The nature of the curriculum has allowed them to learn to pose thoughtful questions, be reflective, and build research skills at a high level of engagement. They have developed long-term planning skills, as well as writing process and revision skills. Both children have noticeably benefited from the multi-age interactions, creating positive bonds with older children and developing leadership skills with peers, and mentoring skills with younger children. The nature of the Progressive Model has encouraged our children to develop strong learning relationships with their teachers. They have acquired a foundation of learning from Walden that will be an attribute to continued education when they move onto Middle School.
Submitted by parent on May 21, 2013

I have been a parent at Walden for 3 years. My son is thriving in this progressive environment. The teachers and administration pay close attention to each child's individual needs to the point of not setting classroom configurations until the needs of ALL students are assessed. The school runs from the top down, lead with inexplicable attention by its Director, Matt Allio, who knows the smallest detail about every child and their family, as well as being an expert in curriculum and development. We have found every interaction with the teachers and administrators to be not just thorough and attentive but truly warm and caring. All one has to do is attend a 6th grade graduation to see the kinds of children Walden turns out - they become the embodiment of Walden's mission by questioning the status quo in an eloquent and relevant manner and by expressing and owning their uniqueness as individuals. I am nothing but proud to be a part of this community and to know that year after year my son will be held to his highest potential while being nurtured to explore his distinct individuality achieve it.