Portland Waldorf School

Portland Waldorf School is a place where your child can thrive, and that you can call home. It's a warm environment that celebrates the seasons as a community, and brings art and beauty into everything it does. My three children all love coming to school every day. They feel valued, noticed, and respected. I am impressed with the rigorous academic content my children are learning. I appreciate how the children are taught through movement and play, so they enjoy learning. I love that they are given ample time to play outside and move their bodies. I appreciate that music lessons and singing are incorporated into the curriculum, as are handwork and regular field trips. This school truly provides a beautiful well-rounded education.
5 7 years ago (28-02-2018)

Waldorf education is a wonderful blend of academics and emotional intelligence. My children are happy and love their teachers! I love how the teacher stays with the class throughout Grades 1-8. They really get to know each student and create a close bond with them. My favorite thing about Portland Waldorf School is the campus - it's full of nature - gardens, creeks, waterfall, trees, field, playgrounds, basketball court, hearth, and much more!
5 7 years ago (20-03-2018)

Portland Waldorf School is poorly organized. Their admissions process is the worst I've ever experienced. We spent four months waiting to hear if our son could join the 7th grade class. We were referred to an educational psychologist, Nancy Long as a requirement by PWS to gain entrance to the school because our son had never attended a Waldorf School. We were prepared to do anything they asked so that he could attend. We liked the Waldorf philosophy and did our research about the Waldorf methodology. The educational psychologist whom PWS referred us to, charged us a good amount of money and never produced a written report as she said she would. In the midst of this, the school said they would admit our son -provisionally. A few weeks later, after not hearing from anyone, I called the school to find out when our son could join the class. The administration didn't know what I was taking about. Then they said there would be no admittance without the written report from the educational psychologist. The educational psychologist won't return our calls, nor does she respond to PWS. They really put us on a roller coaster ride and then finally we received a letter stating that they would not be moving forward with our application. After 4 months, PWS didn't even give us any detailed reason why. We were looking forward to our son attending PWS, but after the conundrum of a matriculation process, PWS demonstrated that it was not worth the $14,000.00 per year tuition, to us. Even as we were prepared to pay it! Our son is very intelligent and fun. He would have made a lovely addition to the school. We are heartbroken and now looking for a different educational path, that is not Waldorf. I would not recommend anyone to apply for entrance to this school unless you're prepared for a long and haphazardly process with no promise of a good outcome.
1 8 years ago (29-03-2017)

My children love going to school each day at PWS and come home excited about what they've done, learned, or experienced after a day at school. I am so impressed with the care and support the teachers give to each and every student and feel so lucky that our family is a part of this school community!
5 9 years ago (13-10-2016)

My child attended the Portland Waldorf School from Kindergarten through his senior year in high school. We could not ask for a more nurturing and supportive environment for our child. He was accepted to all the colleges that he applied to and offered scholarships by most of them. We feel very fortunate to have found such a wonderful - nurturing school for our son. The bonus is the rich applied arts programs that are missing in most public high schools. His portfolio was rich with woodworking, metal smithing, fiber arts and fine art!
5 11 years ago (02-10-2014)