| School Name | Address | Phone | Grades | County | Type | District Name |
| San Francisco Waldorf School | 2938 Washington St
San Francisco, CA 94115 | (415) 931-2750 | K-12 | San Francisco | private | |
| Ethnic Background | Percent | Year |
| White, non-Hispanic | 73.7101 | 2008 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 3.6855 | 2008 |
| Hispanic | 13.5135 | 2008 |
| Native American or Native Alaskan | 1.7199 | 2008 |
| Asian | 7.37101 | 2008 |
| Date | Who | Comments |
| 10/25/2012 | parent | My daughter is a senior at Waldorf. All in all, as a parent, I am not impressed with the education and the level of teaching she has gotten over the last four years. Teachers may have their Masters and Phd s, however, their consistency and ability to act as mature adults - meant to inspire and positively influence students is far below average. From the lack of textbooks, to their inability to maintain coaches on their sports team - my daughter played volleyball up to her Junior year, when she was told by the new coach her postion would be given to a freshman who wa able to attend summer practices - this happened to the majority of returning Senior vollelyball players. Don t even get me started on Eurythmy - a farce too unbeliveable to describe. If you don t have any other choice but Waldorf - inorder to avoid public school - take my advice and keep your student far away from the Eurythmy group. And encourgae them instead to take up a sports team outside of school. Did I mention the teacher, who today yelled at his class to "Shut the F up"? except he actaully used the F word - without consequence from the other teacher in the classroom. |
| 8/28/2012 | parent | My son joined SF Waldorf HS last year in 9th grade after SF public schools K-8th. He wanted (and needed) a small high school with a more intimate interaction with teachers. Parents who may not have necessarily chosen Waldorf in kindergarten should take another look for high school. Waldorf HS has been everything wished for: Teachers are expert in their teaching subject - virtually all have master s degrees or PhDs plus a rigorous Waldorf teacher certification; Project based learning has reinvigorated his love of learning; Art, music and physical education are integral to the curriculum. My son is thriving in this well-rounded and supportive academic setting. The move socially has been wonderful. Waldorf instills a strong sense of community among students. He s made friends easily among his class of 40 (60% of whom are new to SF Waldorf) and loves knowing everyone in the school. He plays varsity sports with boys from all grades something he values. As a parent, I value the Waldorf approach to teen cognitive and emotional development. In summary, my son loves high school, is excited about learning and has wonderful teachers and friends he s a changed young man. |
| 5/16/2012 | parent | Our Son attended Waldorf for 5 years after 1 years at a public school. The curriculum at the public school was one dimensional, geared towards tests and scores. Waldorf was the opposite, warm and nurturing, with art and extracurricular activities. As an interim solution it is great. He flourished as a person . We contribute his self esteem to his teacher and the school. However, the school is lacking academics and some teachers are ill equipped to instruct subjects in the 6-8 grades. The school has one methodology; if your child does not respond they are unwilling adjust. Feedback is not welcomed and communication is poor. There are no text books or grades so it impossible to track how your child is performing. 2 parent teacher conferences are scheduled yearly and a hand written school report is provided in the summer. The school report is beautifully handwritten but the focus is the class holistically and how your child is evolving as a person. We are moving our son to a new school in 6th grade. No doubt there will be other issues. However, this move is necessary so that our son can get up to speed academically and receive real help in the areas that he is struggling. |
| 3/11/2011 | parent | We were very excited about having our daughter attend Waldorf High School It seemed like a perfect fit for her. My concerns began at the first Parent/Teacher/Administrator get together. When asked about getting progress reports on how our children were doing. We were told that would only occur if they were failing. Try getting into a good college with C s. My next concern was my daughter stating how easy all her classes were. Coming from a student that has always worked hard to achieve good grades this was a concern. Luckily we moved to Marin and enrolled our children in a public school . Having always felt private school was important to get the best education possible, it was quite eye opening to hear from most of her new teachers that our daughter was way behind in the basic s required for college. My daughters fond memories of Waldorf turned into a nightmare for her in the amount of additional work she needed to do to catch up. Other friends who attended Waldorf were forced to spend several thousand dollars to help their children score well on the SATs. Nice school, way below average on teaching and preparing children for college. |
| 4/19/2010 | parent | I love the thoughtful teachers and wonderful community. The curriculum is dynamic and meets the children in an age appropriate way. |
| 2/9/2009 | parent | I moved my daughter to SFWS in 4th grade from a very well respected public school in SF. This was a great move for her for many reasons. She was immediately accepted by her classmates and has found the diversity of classes to challenge her in many ways. She is now in the middle school and looking forward to the Waldorf high school. She is learning 2 languages, science, math - both typical and practical math, reading and writing, music, art and movement. My happy child now sings at home as she is doing her homework. I also felt very welcomed into the school community. I would encourage any parent who wants to give their child not only a great education but also a deep understanding of who they are - check out this school. |
| 7/23/2008 | parent | The SF Waldorf school is definitely not for everyone, but the pedagogy makes for an outstanding choice for children and families who want a thriving community with progressive ideals. The curriculum is very strong in building a foundation for critical thinking and stimulates in children and teens the desire to learn and explore. My family could not have been happier about our choice, and my son is a wonderful, caring individual because of it. |
| 5/8/2008 | student | The best high school in San Francisco because of the superb teachers, well-rounded curriculum, and academic rigor. |
| 2/22/2008 | parent | concern for every student, a truly well-rounded education, with balnce of intellectual, emotional, moral, physical, and spiritual development |
| 11/15/2006 | parent | Very rigid. Works well for children with absolutely no learning issues, dyslexia etc. Otherwise it's a train wreck. The early grades,( pre K-5), are fine to excellent if your child gets a good teacher as they have the same class teacher for 8 years. However, even with the best teacher, at the onset of adolescence problems arise. They seem to have a very hard time letting children grow into young adults in an urban environment in this century. There is drama, art and music but no real creativity allowed. Parents are expected to provide a huge amount of practical and financial support but have absolutely no voice in school decisions. For the amount of tuition charged there are wiser choices. |
| 11/13/2006 | parent | The education at San Francisco Waldorf School truly allows each child to fulfill his or her potential. Each individual is valued for her or his gifts, and the love for learning is cultivated every day. The students graduate from the 12th grade with a clear sense of who they are and the confidence to find their place in the world. My son reported from his university (after 14 years at SFWS) that the professors kept asking him how he was able to bring some many different perspectives to class discussions. His academic, social, and practical skills have allowed him to excel in whatever he has tried to do, and I am sure that is so because the Waldorf School and its wonderful teachers valued him for who he was, and allowed him to develop in all aspects of his being. |
| 6/13/2006 | parent | I had a great experience with this school - the teachers and staff are great. |
| 1/5/2006 | parent | The SF Waldorf school is a great place to start your child off right. Their parenting classes (that allow young children to attend as well) are wonderful ways to meet other parents with same age kids, as well as a place to learn some neat things. Their nursery and PK classes are also great. |
| 12/29/2005 | parent | I have to say that the education in this school is solid; kids come out with good heads on their shoulders. The only problem is that it follows a very rigid doctrine written by a german man in the last century. Not only are computers shunned, but so are plastic toys and music cd's (children should hear music live, they say). I had a hard time swallowing it hook, line and sinker, and felt ostrasized for it. |
| 10/26/2003 | parent | Our child has completed ten years at SFWS. While we feel that the theoretical pedagogy is extraordinarily beautiful and one every child anywhere would be nourished by... the bottom line is that it is only as good as the teacher's own preparation. This is because the child stays with the same teacher the entire 8 years of the lower school. If the teacher's own academic preparation is mediocre and their emotional fitness for the task of taking the children through the first eight grades is tenuous than, this is naturally impacted upon the child. As Waldorf is truly 'alternative' it tends to attract teachers who are less rigorous academically and, definately more artistic! This is lovely and makes for a highly sensitive and gentle curriculum but, it can leave the student unprepared for today's secondary school expectations eg. keyboarding and computer, math skills, creative writing and standardized test taking. One can become 'locked-in' to the Waldorf curriculum... at third grade there's no chance to leave because most of the kids aren't reading yet; at sixth there's the fear of the culture of public middle schools and, at ninth they don't have the skills requisite for the fast track high schools (computer, math, test taking). In the end, we are glad our son has gone to Waldorf but, because this is such a different world than it was 30, 50 or 80 years ago... perhaps we should have put him in a more competitive and rigorously academic environment. The physical environment and the performing arts of the K-8 lower school are wonderful. |
