The high school is exceptional. The classes are small with faculty who are both incredibly well qualified (many have PhDs or other terminal degrees in their fields) and are incredibly kind and caring. No one is a number here. Faculty and staff know students well and are very invested in students' intellectual and emotional growth. The school has a wonderful theater program and everyone who wishes to participate may. This is also the case for all other extracurricular offerings -- Speech and Debate, Athletics, etc. I don't think enough people are aware this wonderful school is here, and that needs to change. This is the kind of school that changes and enriches your life. read more

It'a an amazing school with great teachers and a beautiful campus! I go to school there and it's safe to say it's one of my favorite places. Any chance I get to stay after school I try and take.Love this school so much! read more

We love it here. Our kids love it here. Our parents love who our kids are becoming here. I feel so lucky we have found such a warm inclusive community here with teachers so in tune with our kiddos as they navigate through their various stages. At its center it is a school, but it's much more than that to our family. read more

Reply to posting by Santosh K. I'm sorry your child did not get into the school. Ours did get accepted in the same year as your posting in fall of 2017. My husband and I are both of Asian decent, and I'm not even born here. The two kindergarten classes of that year combined had a great deal of diversity, with minority groups ranging from Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, East-Indians of different regions, Persian, and African American families, which amount to so much more than the Waldorf charter schools in this area. These kindergarten classes were both recruited by the same gentleman. He even started an International Program for the high school that admitted lots of students from Asian countries who committed to staying for 4 years. I know it's difficult to make sense of why not all families were accepted. What I do know is that the kindergarten program here is very competitive and usually filled before September. Based on your description, I believe they may have prioritized families who have lived here for a while. I think all the families in this class have lived in Sacramento for a few years. Considering the many people I've encounter that moved from SF, many leave within 1 to 2 years as they could not adjust to the hot weather and suburban-rural culture in comparison to a large city like SF. I can understand the school's fear as they are faced with families leaving and disrupting the class continuity, since this school normally takes a class with one teacher into many grades. I'm guessing your situation was a misunderstanding. read more

I went here for four years or so, I had many experiences, some good and some otherwise, I learned a lot and forgot a little....well, it's hard to review a school where you spent your formative years, at least in depth. Maybe someone else will take the ball for me. In brief: send your kids here if you want them to maintain their dignity in the school system, don't send your kids if you want to give them a chance to slack off, do send your kids if you think life is more then a buzzing class bell and cramming for the SAT, don't send your kids if they can't draw at least a little bit. This is a very unique place. read more

Sacramento Waldorf School - Linden Hall - Elementary Schools Near Me - Fair Oaks, California

Our family searched high and low nationwide for the ideal high school, and ended up moving to Fair Oaks because of this one - can't say enough good things about it! They even built a complete outdoor K-12 campus this summer to prepare for safe in-person education in the face of Covid. The Waldorf approach can seem unconventional with its emphasis on the arts and music, collaboration over competition, and otherwise developing the whole child instead of merely pushing them to pass tests, but the end results undeniably include academic excellence. The average SAT scores here rival top college prep schools, with an outstanding college acceptance rate. The teachers here love what they do, and love their students. Perhaps best of all, Waldorf schools don't stress out kindergarten-age children forcing them to read before their time or otherwise "get a head start" before their little brains are ready. Instead, teachers work with each child to develop their intellectual, physical, and social skills at a speed appropriate for each individual. This all pays off later, and actually improves academic performance in middle school, high school, and beyond. My daughter graduated Sac Waldorf last year with acceptance to an Ivy League university, plus levels of maturity, consciousness, and social activism rarely found among young women her age. She and her fellow graduates have also mastered a wide range of art forms at professional/commercial levels, and they appreciate how seeds ultimately become a meal or clothing because they have done it. They enjoyed a complete school experience, not just textbooks, cramming, and test pressure. If you ask my daughter what her favorite thing was at Sac Waldorf, I'll bet she would say "the llama at the school farm", or "helping poor kids with my community service hours". I would also bet that with its new outdoor facilities, this school will be live instead of Zoom long before others, without missing a beat. You simply won't find as well-rounded of an education anywhere else. read more

I've been meaning to write about this review for a while but hadn't gotten to it. We were setup to meet the admissions director, who was going to show us the place. He is a gentleman from the UK, if I remember correctly. We are an Indian couple. He was extremely racist and rude to us. At one point, during the tour, he pretended to punch my wife, to prove some kind of point. He also said "I don't know if this school is good for you two.". He had no respect for us and was an arrogant, ignorant, little fool. He also asked why we were moving from the Bay Area, and before I could give him an answer, he said "I get it, it's cheaper. People like you are moving here in droves." Wonder, what he means by "People like you". I didn't have the time to argue with that fool on the day, looking back I wish I did. Bottom line: if you are a colored/non-Caucasian parent, watch out for that little twerp!! read more

My children have only attended the SWS high school, but we love it. They are focused on learning for a lifetime. It is a college prep curriculum and, as our children have been going there (we have been part of this community for over 7 years, but Waldorf educated family for the past 14+ years) I have noticed a definite shift from the "artsy" reputation it may have had in the past. It really is a college prep school, yet stays true to the Waldorf curriculum in terms of human growth. And, as with all Waldorf schools, the arts are very alive with fine arts, theater and music all well integrated into the program. This is not your average high school: there is no football team, no cheerleading squad, few electives. It isn't typically American in those ways. Waldorf has enriched our family in endless ways: I will forever be grateful for this education. Update: November 2013 My oldest has been graduated from the high school and on to college for about 2 1/2 years now. She is now actually thanking me for this schooling: she realizes what a blessing it has been to her. That says so much about Waldorf education! read more

My daughter has gone to Sacramento Waldorf School since Kindergarten and she is now in High School at this school. I am so grateful for the education, caring, guidance and community we as a family have experienced the last 10 years. The teachers, staff and community are invested in every student. The curriculum is rich and filled with academic classes, music, handwork, foreign language, movement, gardening on an organic farm and art. The students are allowed to develop a love of learning. There is no standardized testing until the end of 7th grade, so kids do not feel pressure to perform to a test. The campus is absolutely gorgeous along the American river and the teachers take advantage of the natural environment to do many activities and classes out of doors. Now that my daughter is in high school, I can see that the high school curriculum is also rich and rigorous. This high school definitely prepares these students for college, along with guiding them to think critically and be independent thinkers in the world. I would recommend this school to anyone looking for an alternative education to public school that nourishes the whole child, not just the academics. read more

I attended their middle school, and I chose not to go to their high school. I had this teacher who was a very.... unprofessional. There was this kid who everyone in school hated. Not that he was stupid or anything.. he just had a lot of questions and liked to interfere with many things. This kid made a lot of issues at school because people liked to make fun of him. Every single time there was a problem between him and other kids, I just couldn't believe how a teacher could be so immature and unprofessional because she was never fair to the victim. She always believed things that are only visible, and she never tried to learn the truth. And she was nice to only kids whose mom gave her a lot of support during field trips and those stupid "fairs"... School cares too much about Shakespeare and ancient stuff.. They don't even have computer labs. When I went to a public high school, I was shocked because no one in the real world cares about what SWS seems to be obsessed about. School is so small that kids there almost never experience the real world. They think what they experience in that tinny group is everything. However, the real world is full of surprises, and I don't think SWS prepares their kids to meet those surprises. So send your kids here if you want your kids to become Shakespeare freaks.... oh, and also, half of the kids in high school are potheads.. campus has a lot of areas hidden areas... its so easy to f*** around. read more

My son attended the lower school for 4 years, after a disastrous beginning at public school. It was expensive and we did a lot of driving to get him there every day, but it was worth it. In addition to the peculiar, but effective approach to academics, it's just a great place for kids to be. It's been 9 years since our family was involved with this school, but we still maintain the friendships we made there. read more

The Waldorf curriculum is unique in several ways. 1) It is developmentally oriented as to how it stages the teaching of skills and material. They are acutely aware of how children's brains grow in stages. There is a natural order to things providing optimum moments when to emphasize subjects, like reading. So, as if tilling the soil, they put the kids through exercises to help grow the necessary neural connections and make them more robust. For instance, they teach knitting and other hand work to all the lower grades. Why? Because the fine motor skills that develop while doing so, cause the corpus callosum to become more thick with connections important for reading. Also important for reading is the development of the imagination via oral stories, designed to help the child to visualize in the mind the story being told. This is just the tip of the iceberg regarding the finer points Waldorf technique. In public school they push the kids to do things like reading earlier and earlier. Studies show that they can. But should they? It's kind of like saying that, girls get their periods at 12. Therefore they should get pregnant and raise a child. Can this happen, yes. Should it happen, you decide. I think not. I believe Waldorf is wise in the way they work with the kids in a developmentally sound manner. Reading is especially touchy. Do parents get nervous the older the child gets and is not yet reading like grandpa thinks they should? Yes. Do they second guess themselves? Ya. Does it all work out in the end? Yup. So, read to your child often and as much as they like. 2) From 1st to 8th grade, the student has the same teacher. This allows for a solid relationship to grow between them, an emotional bond, that aids the teacher to motivate the child in a healthy way. Further, the teacher gets to know each child and their family thoroughly, giving insight to the inner-working of the child's mind and the nuances of family life. This allows the teacher to best deliver the subject matter in a fashion most suitable for each individual. 3) 1-8 must learn to play an instrument, learn two foreign languages and engage in a lot of art. 4) There are no text books. They make their own and in the process become quite familiar with the subject. 5) There is no testing per se. The teacher knows each child and where they are at and what they need to go forward. The children are evaluated on a regular basis and an in-depth oral and written report is personally presented to the parents on a regular basis. 6) The students are expected to perform music before an audience both via instrument and voice. They also must take part in dramatic presentations. 7) The arts are woven throughout the curriculum. The child's imagination is nurtured and honed K-12. Below is a study which illustrates the value of creativity to the future success of economies throughout the world now and for generations to come. Waldorf students will be more than ready for the future. They will be it. 8) The school is equipped with a working organic farm and a teacher/farmer that makes real, the natural sciences and teaches the value of labor and work. They help raise the food then sell it. If you are concerned about science, so are the families at Sacramento Waldorf. The school is run by the parents with the help of the teachers. We are seeing to it that the science program is very robust especially in high school. My children have been there since Kindergarden and are now in 4th and 7th. Though it is an investment financially and difficult to manage at times, it is worth every penny. My children are happy and well adjusted and love school. They have solid relationships with solid people. They can have intelligent conversations with adults and carry themselves with poise and dignity. I am very proud of their way of being and who they are. As a parent at the school, you must participate in some way. Though the tuition is steep it is not enough to cover everything. Because many families can't afford full price money must be raised by other means. People are expected to donate time, treasure or talent. Many choose to donate all three. Many put in numerous hours of volunteer time. In the process it becomes a labor of love and one forms warm relationships with many other families. In some ways it is like a small town. You become part of a warm and welcoming community. There is much comfort to know that "someone's got your back". We have learned that the more we give, the more we get. So, if you just want to drop your kids at the curb and that's it, maybe this is not the place for you or your child. On the other hand, if your want your child to grow in a balanced manner in a supportive community with a 95% chance of getting into the college or university of choice, with a great shot at getting scholarships, then, this is the place. http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pdfs/Adobe_State_of_Create_Global_Benchmark_Study.pdf read more

Beautiful campus, arts infused yet rigorous curriculum, cannot say enough good things about this school. I'm a parent with young children who are thriving; for our family SWS is a great fit. read more

We came to the Sacramento Waldorf School 7 years ago for parent-toddler class with our 1 and 3 year old children. Each year, we have continued to grow with our children and the community of like-minded families towards a more centered, calm existence. Our spirits renew each fall as the Waldorf curriculum continues to meets our children in a developmentally-appropriate way. Our children are blessed with an education that is tailored to their individual needs, personality and learning style. This school and community is not for those who want to do "what everyone else is doing". But if you want your children to maintain their self-esteem and to learn in an incredibly well-rounded way, at a pace that is right for their own individual development, you should check out this school. read more