Filed In:

U.S. Schools> U.S. Schools> Waldorf Schools

What is the difference between Montessori and Waldorf schools?
Maria Montessori and Rudolf Steiner created quite a legacy in the schools which follow their methodologies. What exactly are the differences between the two types of schools?

Alabama: The Redmont School, Birmingham
"The Redmont School in the Waldorf Tradition is one of nearly 800 schools worldwide sharing an educational philosophy that is more than 80 years old, yet in dynamic harmony with today’s needs."

Alaska: Aurora Waldorf School of Alaska, Anchorage
Alaska's only Waldorf school.

Arizona: Desert Marigold School, Phoenix
"Waldorf schools build a foundation for learning by honoring childhood as a valuable time in the individual's life and teaches in the spirit of gentleness and compassion."

Arizona: Enchanted Desert Playgarden, Tucson
"Nurturing and protecting childhood in a beautiful, warm, homelike setting is a key element of the Waldorf early childhood program."

Colorado: The Denver Waldorf School, Denver
"The Denver Waldorf School is a not-for-profit independent school that provides a unique and excellent education to students from early childhood through high school."

Colorado: River Song Waldorf School, Fort Collins
"We are a school community dedicated to offering a classic liberal arts education which honors the whole child: hands, heart, and head. Our mission is to nurture, through Waldorf education, full human beings who are able to impart purpose and direction to their lives."

Colorado: Shepherd Valley Waldorf School, Inowt
"Sweetpea Garden: For ages 6 months - 3 years This eight-week course for parents and their young ones meets once a week. Preschool/Kindergarten For ages 3 - 6 years. We have two mixed-age kindergartens which include the three and four year olds in preschool."

Colorado: Shining Mountain Waldorf School, Boulder
"Shining Mountain Waldorf School is an independent day school offering kindergarten through high school curricula based on Rudolf Steiner's holistic educational principles. Nestled in the rolling foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the school is situated on a beautiful eight-acre campus in northwest Boulder, Colorado."

Colorado: Waldorf School On The Roaring Fork, Carbondale
"The early childhood and kindergarten program at the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork is committed to providing a safe, beautiful, and nurturing environment where children can live in their world of wonder and imitation. The school offers a mixed-age preschool and kindergarten for children from three to six years old as well as parent/toddler classes."

Connecticut: Housatonic Valley Waldorf School, Newtown
"Offered three and five days a week, for children ages 3 to 6. Here children blossom in a calm, reassuring atmosphere, develop their imaginations -- the foundation for all learning -- and practice ever-growing social skills."

Florida: School of the Suncoast, Clearwater
"Since 1991, parents, teachers and others who desired to bring a new impulse into education for all children, have carried on the intensive preparatory and educational work required for opening a Waldorf school."

Georgia: The Waldorf School of Atlanta
"The Waldorf School of Atlanta is a private, coeducational school based on the philosophy of educational pioneer Dr. Rudolf Steiner. Established in 1986, the school offers preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school classes."

Hawaii: Honolulu Waldorf School, Honolulu
"Honolulu Waldorf School welcomes children and their families of all races, religions, nationalities, and ethnicities to our 'ohana, and offers a rich multicultural and developmentally based education founded on the educational philosophy of Dr. Rudolf Steiner."

Hawaii: The Kona Pacific School, Kealakekua
"A wonderfully unique aspect of Waldorf education is the Class Teacher. This special person greets your child in first grade and ideally grows with him or her until graduation day at the end of eighth grade."

Hawaii: Malamalama Waldorf School, Keaau
"Malamalama Waldorf School, founded in 1978 and incorporated in 1979, is an independant, non-profit organization licensed by the state of Hawaii. The school offers a Waldorf curriculum in the classical liberal arts style, inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner, Austrian educator, psychologist, and scientist. The school serves children pre-school through elementary grades."

Idaho: Sandpoint Waldorf School, Sandpoint
"The children in a Waldorf school are led during the eight years of elementary education by the same class teacher who brings to them the wonders of nature, which later develop into the sciences, and the achievements of humanity through the march of time, which nourish and stimulate the unfolding of consciousness in the awakening human being."

Illinois: Chicago Waldorf School, Chicago
"The Chicago Waldorf School opened its doors in 1974 with a small Early Childhood program. The school has enjoyed steady growth and the present facility at 1300 West Loyola, in Rogers Park, now offers a full Parent-Child through High School curriculum and an After-School program."

Illinois: Four Winds Waldorf School, Warrensville
"Welcome to the Four Winds Waldorf School, bringing elementary and preschool education to the western suburbs of Chicago. As part of the fastest growing alternative education movement in the world, we are deeply committed to providing education that encourages, captivates, challenges, and inspires your child’s mind, body, and soul."

Illinois: Great Oaks School, Skokie
"Great Oaks School educates children from birth through Third Grade in the Waldorf tradition. Please browse through our site and learn more about the school itself and the fastest growing independent school movement in the country."

Illinois: Water's Edge School, Wauconda
"Our school offers a unique, Waldorf inspired elementary grades experience in this multi-age grades program. It is a small mixed-age classroom where arts and academics are fully integrated."

Maine: Ashwood Waldorf School, Rockport
"Early childhood programs at Ashwood serve families with children from age one to six-and-a-half or seven. The Parent/Child program nurtures the whole family (moms, dads, babies, toddlers, and grandparents are all welcome) and provides a bridge from home to school. When ready, the young child then transitions to the nursery and, later, the kindergarten."

Maine: The Bay School, Blue Hill
"Our kindergarten program is designed above all to nurture the imagination so vibrantly alive in the young child."

Maryland: The Waldorf School of Baltimore
"The Waldorf School of Baltimore is an independent, co-educational school currently serving children in a Nursery through Eighth Grade program, committed to the educational philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner."

Maryland: Washington Waldorf School, Bethesda
"We aspire to create a healthy cultural and social life within our school and carry that impulse to the wider community. Together, parents, students, teachers, friends and alumni strive to create an enlivened, forward-looking educational community that is a vital member of the international Waldorf School movement, founded by Rudolf Steiner."

Massachusetts: Cape Ann Waldorf School, Beverly Farms
"Teachers are dedicated to educating the whole child, head, heart, and hands. They strive to unlock and encourage the blossoming of each child's full potential. Waldorf education fosters a love of learning, a love of self, and a love of humanity."

Massachusetts: The Hartsbrook School, Hadley
"Our youngest students enjoy the beautiful and home-like environment of the Ben Smith building, an inn built in 1776, with a large play yard, gardens and flowering trees."

Massachusetts: Rudolf Steiner School, Great Barrington
"In a Waldorf Kindergarten, children develop the capacity for creative thinking, problem solving abilities and social skills through their free imaginative play."

Massachusetts: Waldorf High School of Massachusetts Bay, Belmont
"Waldorf High School of Massachusetts Bay is a private faculty-guided school for grades 9-12 in Belmont, Massachusetts, 20 minutes from downtown Boston."

Massachusetts: The Waldorf School, Lexington
"Our Early Childhood programs weave a warm environment with stories, songs, and movement. The great rhythms of seasonal festivities and the regular beat of daily activities such as hammering, cooking, painting and building allow children to explore the world joyfully and with confidence."

Massachusetts: Waldorf School of Cape Cod, Bourne
"Our intent is to provide a home-like setting that encourages the unfolding of the imagination through a rich exposure to language, culture, and the natural world."

Michigan: The Detroit Waldorf School
"Since children learn through imitation, the Children’s Center (for children from three to six years of age) strives to create a mood of reverence and wonder in an environment worthy of imitation."

Michigan: Oakland Steiner School, Rochester Hills
"From pre-school through eighth grade, the Waldorf teachers at Oakland Steiner School are committed to providing an education that deepens the natural joy and wonder of learning."

Michigan: The Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor
"Preparing students to meet the challenges of our rapidly changing society."

Minnesota: City Of Lakes Waldorf School, Minneapolis
"Now in our 16th year, we serve children ages 3-1/2 through 8th Grade. CLWS is recognized for our well-structured curriculum, dedicated and experienced faculty, and our involved parent community."

Minnesota: Minnesota Waldorf School, Maplewood
"Located in the Twin Cities suburb of Maplewood, the Minnesota Waldorf School is an independent, nonsectarian, Pre-kindergarten through 8th grade elementary and middle school based on an internationally acclaimed curriculum."

New York: Green Meadow Waldorf School, Chestnut Ridge
"Green Meadow's programs for the young child were developed with two basic tenets; that the child, before the age of seven, learns through imitation, and that play is the "work" of the young child."

Minnesota: Spring Hill School, Excelsior
Spring Hill School is an independent school offering pre-K through 8th grade curricula based on Rudolph Steiner's educational principles. Located in the western suburbs of the Twin Cities, Spring Hill School is situated in the historic town of Excelsior.

New York: Hawthorne Valley School, Ghent
"The Early Childhood Program at Hawthorne Valley School encompasses three mixed-age Kindergartens serving approximately 45 children (ages three to six.) In addition, we offer two parent-child programs for parents and their children (ages one to three.)"

New York: Mountain Laurel Waldorf School, New Paltz
"The Waldorf kindergarten teachers support the children’s growth by working in meaningful activities — such as baking bread, gardening, sewing, and painting — that the children can readily imitate. The teachers nurture the children’s imagination by telling stories, singing, and encouraging free play."

New York: Rudolf Steiner School, New York
"Our preschool program gives children the opportunity for creative play, engaging them in activities through which their power of imagination is strengthened."

Pennsylvania: The River Valley School, Upper Black Eddy
"Nestled on top of the rolling hills of Upper Bucks County, overlooking the Delaware River, The River Valley School is filled with sunlight and surrounded by 71/2 acres of fields and woodlands."

Washington: Brightwater School, Seattle
"Our vision of the future includes an early childhood education program, a full Waldorf program for grades 1-8 and possible affiliation with a local working farm."

Washington: Madrona School, Bainbridge Island
"Madrona School educates children according to the evolving principles of Waldorf education, preparing them to engage in the world with creativity and compassion. We seek to grow as a community of families, connecting to our greater community through service and education."

Washington: Olympia Waldorf School, East Olympia
"Olympia Waldorf School currently serves children starting at age 4 (Kindergarten) through middle school, and is part of a worldwide network of more than 600 Waldorf Schools begun in 1919."

Washington: Seattle Waldorf School, Seattle
"The Seattle Waldorf School was established in 1980. Briar Rose Kindergarten and Grades 1 through 8 are located at the main campus in north Seattle. Two other Kindergarten classes are located at Kinderhaus, near Woodland Park Zoo."

Washington: The Tacoma Waldorf School, Tacoma
"At The Tacoma School our curriculum is based on the ideas and work of Austrian Dr. Rudolf Steiner."

Washington: Three Cedars Schools, Bellevue
"Our classrooms are warm and beautiful; our playgrounds are wooded and natural; our teachers are caring and nurturing, providing a healthy, safe space."

Washington: Whatcom Hills Waldorf School, Bellingham
"While many schools experiment with programs, Whatcom Hills Waldorf School's curriculum has stood the test of time. The Waldorf curriculum educates the whole child: head, heart, and hand. It is based on an 80-year tradition of education founded by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher and educator, who had remarkable insights into the needs of the growing child and maturing adolescent."

Washington: Whidbey Island Waldorf School, Clinton
"Twenty-six miles northwest of Seattle, our beautiful school is situated in a pristine woodland setting on five acres, with a land trust of 100 acres surrounding it. The school is a community of children, their parents, teachers and friends coming together for the common good and education of our children and our world. It is a place to share in something very special and significant."

Wisconsin: Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School , Viroqua
"Grown from a one-room mixed-grade initiative with a single teacher to a K-8 Waldorf school with faculty and staff of twenty-five, Pleasant Ridge has attracted families from across the nation to Viroqua."

Wisconsin: Prairie Hill Waldorf School, Pewaukee
"Prairie Hill Waldorf School is an independent, nonsectarian, non-profit, pre-kindergarten through 8th grade elementary and middle school based on an internationally acclaimed Waldorf curriculum."

Wisconsin: Three Rivers School Waldorf, La Crosse
"Three Rivers School is a non-profit, non-sectarian, independent school run by its teachers and families and funded through tuition and donations."