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The Denver Waldorf School
2100 S Pennsylvania St, Denver, CO 80210, United States
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Review №1

There is no other school or high school Ive encountered where the staff work so conscientiously to help your child succeed. No issues or problems are ignored - everything that stands in your childs way of doing their best is identified. Then the staff work with your kids and family to develop the methods and skills they need to become great students, hard workers and determined, aware and accomplished young people. Our family is so happy and grateful to have discovered the amazing Denver Waldorf School.

am
Review №2

Our son is in 2nd grade, having attended 1st grade here as well.This school offers an approach to education that nurtures the inner life of the child in tandem with h/her developing contributions to society. The daily classroom routines are intentional with regard to the cultivation of confidence in oneself and ones community, empathy, and respect for the planet. Learning happens in an atmosphere of inspiration rather than indoctrination... Waldorf schools have been around for almost 100 yrs now for good reason; Denver Waldorf warmly and earnestly continues the tradition forward!

Br
Review №3

My son attends Denver Waldorf and he loves it!Much like learning to ride a bike, when a child is ready to balance and ride away they will. The beauty of this school is only seen by viewing your child developing in this warm nurturing environment. My son who is 7 years old is learning to read, count and spell along with learning Spanish and Russian. They play the flute, practice eurythmy, knit, draw, paint, sing and get plenty of physical activity too. He is learning the foundations of writing, reading, and math through stories, art and movement in a natural exciting way.I remember when I was young how the stories, rhymes and song my elders told to me stuck with me to this day and helped form who I am today. The projects I did with my Dad taught me to work with my hands and spending warm moments with my Mom created a caring soul. How and what my children are doing will create a path of learning that will keep them curious about learning and creating new things all their lives.I do not believe in pounding information into a child by forcing homework. As parents we are involved in the school and our childrens lives. We come home from school and draw, read, play or go for a walks.I really enjoy the learning experience I am having from being involved with my child and this school.My daughter will be attend next year too.Thank you,Brian

Em
Review №4

My two daughters attend Denver Waldorf and we really love it! The school educates with love and support for the children as they develop in their own, unique way. I feel very supported in my parenting and am confident in the schools method of teaching.

An
Review №5

Waldorf teaches kids not just how to DO well, but how to BE well. Their commitment to helping kids unfold their gifts one moment at a time is whats key. Its less about the shoulds and more about learning how you, as an individual shine. Once kids understand their unique contribution and once that quiet confidence and certainty exists, the rest falls into place. I highly recommend Waldorf schools.

Ch
Review №6

Holistic Pedagogy Gives Great Results. We have been a part of the DWS community for two years and are amazed by the results. A holistic approach to the child, no tech, no homework. Our child has regained confidence, acquired and mastered new skills, and honed his critical thinking.

El
Review №7

Our experience was that DWS did a beautiful job with what they did well and really poorly at what they did poorly. Their strengths were: arts, music, independent play time, outdoor romping, creative thought and creation, acting, singing, and drawing. Their weaknesses were: academics, structure, organization, follow-through, performance management of their staff, and receptivity to feedback. This school works really, really well for certain children and not so well for others. If the child essentially learns by osmosis, and quickly adapts to the DWS approach, they do well. If the child needs more structure or has any academic challenges, their approach works a lot less well. The school administration seemed to really struggle with a couple getting divorced, and whether intentionally or not, wound up holding me responsible for my ex-husbands actions and words, and put undue pressure on me to remedy situations far beyond my control as a single parent. They need to evolve in managing communications with two households. In sum, I recommend this school for young children through 2/3rd grade. They host a lovely holiday event every year, and do an excellent job of creating a magical environment for the children. Ultimately, I am grateful that my child had this formative elementary experience for a few years. We share excellent memories of the school, and it helped to make my child a better person, who gets along with others well. Parents are encouraged to do a lot of homework before enrolling, and ensure that this school will work well for their child.

St
Review №8

Denver Waldorf is amazing. The approach to education is an unbelievable fit for my son -- the whole life, not racing to nowhere. For him, theres nowhere else Id want to him to be learning how to be a good human. And its working.

Em
Review №9

Each year, we discover more things we love about the school and the Waldorf pedagogy. I cannot imagine teachers more focused on each childs success, and yet the community focused classrooms are just what this world needs. When kids have problems they are worked through in reasonable ways with a real focus on avoiding labeling a child so each child can discover who they really are. Some aspects such as media limitations or later reading seem scary at first, but over time parents learn to understand why they are in place. Here is a school that pushes me to be a better parent, I never have to push them. The academics are simply amazing - 9th graders doing work I didnt do until college. Movement, art, music, and creativity are not breaks from academics, but woven into the very foundation of the curriculum. I trust in every teacher that we have met and have seen problems with other children or even staff quickly and appropriately dealt with. If I had to be in school every day, I would want to be here - it is a second home for our kids.

Cy
Review №10

Both of our sons attended DWS from the late 80s through the 90s. Here their strengths were identified and nurtured, they learned to be critical thinkers and now, are creative problem solvers. They are each well rounded, intelligent young men, positively contributing to the world in their unique ways. They are truly life-long learners. I attribute much of their success to the Waldorf education they experienced in the critical years of first through eighth grades. And because of this rich education, our first grandchild is now attending Waldorf kindergarten where his young character is being nurtured! I am delighted to witness this full circle ~

Br
Review №11

I am blown away each year by the students that graduate from Waldorf. They are productive, successful, and creative. They bring excitement to what the future holds!

Je
Review №12

Feel compelled to respond after reading the poor review from the Mr. Combs. Im appalled that a professional developmental psychologist he consulted would spew such uninformed opinions about an accredited school whose methods have been successfully educating children around the world for almost 100 years.I have two gifted (defined by IQ) children who have been educated through Waldorf, my oldest successfully transitioned to Denver School of the Arts and is a straight A student. My youngest is happy and passionate about math and music, and the Waldorf program encourages his passions. Neither of them started reading until second grade and by third grade were reading novels -- the system worked for them.No educational approach is right for every child, but I see most children who are in this school thriving socially, emotionally and ultimately academically. Dont be influenced by this poster who is bashing -- come experience the school and meet the wonderful teachers for yourself. Also, they have a wonderful new campus this year!

Ca
Review №13

This school is for any family who is interested in having their whole child nurtured from pre-K to 12th grade. DWS builds capacities in our children, which allow them to show up in the world in a way that is thoughtful, flexible in their thinking, beyond material goals and with a reverence for people and the planet. It is the antidote to the troubles our world is facing today as it develops community, has rigorous, but developmentally appropriate academics, supports emotional intelligence and organically addresses learning differences in ALL kids through integrated, experiential and varied delivery of information. Our high school students are shining examples - come take a look!

N
Review №14

This school creates the most un-American atmosphere imaginable. There is not a single American flag on campus. School lunch prices were set to ensure the vendor could earn a living wage while nearly 1/3 of the students are on some type of scholarship paid by parents who could afford the entire tuition. One of the teachers identified the school as being a citizen of the World when questioned why the Pledge of Allegiance was not recited. We moved from out of state, and our 7th grader was once again learning 6th grade math. If you want to waste about $12,000 and then need to pay for tutors to help your child catch back up to grade level, and watch a Communist education in action, then this is the school for your family.

Mi
Review №15

So I dig the concept of teaching kids philosophy, giving them real life skills like the violin, and teaching them hand crafts like wood making. Also know that when I randomly talked to kids in the high school there, they said they loved it.The school facility is really dumpy in comparison to schools like Grelyland, Denver Montessori, St Anns, St Marys, and Stanley British.( I thought, Thats not a huge deal because Im a tech kagillionair and if things worked out I would have donated all the money they needed for their campus explanation and remodel.)So I had a kid who went into the pre-k program from DUs Fisher Early Learning Center. He had some sensory issues and I spend on average 40k a year on him for private school and therapy on Sensory Prescriptive Disorder. I say that because I sent him to one of the famous developmental psychologist in town that charge you 1k to IQ test your child and tell them which school is the best fit for that child.What I basically found out through having my child at Waldorf for 12 months is that they are overly conservative for the sake of being conservative. When it came time to have assessments for first grade entry. They told me they tested him for reading ability and signs of sensory issues. So even though the Waldorf Model does not believe in teaching children to read until they are seven, if you dont have that skill (which they dont teach them), and have it all together by first grade, they boot them out.So I asked the developmental psychologist to test my son and tell me what the deal is, because I have a BS in education. She said that my child has a IQ of 150 with a decent amount of Sensory Delay which with our current regiment of thereby would work itself out within 12-18 months. She also said that the Denver Waldorf School only works for 3% of children that fit their flawed model. I then asked what that meant. Basically, they believe in not teaching all children to read until they are seven because kids brains are not ready for it. Being that, in the last five years there are a deluge of children, not one or two but countless, who literally cant read at age 12 because they did not have early intervention at Waldorf. So by the time they start teaching a kid to read at seven, they are literally three years behind the eight ball and are catastrophically behind, especially if you believe that the first five years are the most important in a persons life.The developmental psychologist also gave assessments to some countless children at age 12 that were literally thrown out of Denver Waldorf. Not only could they not read, they could not answer basic concepts of Why is America considered a Democracy. She also said they are kicking him out because they dont want to take a risk with any child exposing their flawed model. The bottom line is they dont want anymore kids that cant read at age 12. So instead of innovating and reforming the Waldorf Model, they kick the brilliant ones out because there is an absolute refusal to accommodate children with reading issues.So basically in the end we were left with a kindergartner that could not read and we had to put him into a school, and get tutors, to bring him up to speed because he was so far behind.Personally, I would think long and hard about risking your childs future by sending them to Waldorf. I am not bitter or angry, I just feel that any prospective parents who are think of sending their child here need to know (Sit emptor caveto let the buyer be ware.)

Information
21 Photos
15 Comments
4.4 Rating
  • Address:2100 S Pennsylvania St, Denver, CO 80210, United States
  • Site:http://www.denverwaldorf.org/
  • Phone:+1 303-777-0531
Categories
  • Elementary school
  • Private school
  • High school
  • Middle school
  • Preschool
Working hours
  • Monday:8AM–3:30PM
  • Tuesday:8AM–3:30PM
  • Wednesday:8AM–3:30PM
  • Thursday:Closed
  • Friday:Closed
  • Saturday:8AM–3:30PM
  • Sunday:8AM–3:30PM
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