Maine Coast Waldorf School

Posted: February 10, 2026

MCWS was a wonderful educational experience. I attended from pre-K through 12th grade and am incredibly grateful for the opportunity I had to attend.

Posted: February 10, 2026

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Posted: June 28, 2020

We could not have made it through distance learning without Maine Coast Waldorf School. Connection in community is now more important than ever, and our choice several years ago to enroll at MCWS was validated again and again this spring. The teachers and staff went above and beyond during this first foray into distance learning, quickly and nimbly providing engaging and meaningful curriculum. When my son nor I thought we could get through another day of quarantine, we felt connected. Who knows what this Fall will actually bring, but we know the school experience will continue to learning in relationship. Grateful!

Posted: June 28, 2020

We've benefited from a careful balance of meaningful homework that enhances without overload.

Posted: June 28, 2020

Connection in community is now more important than ever for our family. The teachers and staff at Maine Coast Waldorf have consistently prepared creative and experiential curriculum that ignites imagination, not boxed lessons that are one size fit all.

Posted: June 28, 2020

Great community that has held us in over the years

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Posted: March 5, 2020

This school does a fantastic job with so many aspects of education. We have been at the school for many years and have been delighted with the education. I want to also suggest that having the same teacher for all 8 years of grade school is a great opportunity to develop a long term relationship with a teacher and peers, which is far more useful in life than simply relating to someone for 9 months, as happens in a traditional school. Some might argue that teachers are not able to be experts at all 8 grade levels. But if it were true that adults couldn’t develop along with the students, then parents could not be effective parents over the course of many decades of parenting. But of course, parents are able to learn and can effectively provide different things to children of different ages.
No one educational strategy can do everything. That said, I strongly prefer the in-depth experience of having my children learn to relate to teachers and other students over many years.
This is an unusual and incredible strength of MCWS, in addition to providing excellent academics from pre-K to grade 12.

Posted: March 5, 2020

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Posted: March 5, 2020

My family had many of the same types of negative experiences described in other reviews. Waldorf is appealing in many ways, but after several years at MCWS we realized it has a major drawback that outweighs and actually undermines the potential benefits. In Waldorf schools, when the students move from one grade to the next, the teacher moves with them all the way from 1st to 8th grade. This supposedly has pedagogical benefits because it means the teacher gets to know the students well. Over several years, we realized there are important reasons why other schools have teachers who specialize in teaching particular grade levels. Teaching successfully at 1st grade vs. 4th grade vs. 8th grade requires different skills, knowledge, and temperament–and years of experience. It is unrealistic to think that one person will be good at teaching every grade level. A Waldorf teacher is not able to learn from experience because every year for 8 years they teach a different grade (and then many stop teaching and never cycle back again). At non-Waldorf schools, you have teachers with decades of experience teaching each grade level; that expertise does not exist at MCWS, and it shows. This approach also fails to recognize that children actually change tremendously from year to year. The 8th-grade version of a child is quite different from the 1st-grade version (think of yourself at those ages). Every year the Waldorf teacher essentially has to get to know the “new version” of the student again, meaning there is not a great benefit to having taught them before. Having the same teacher also stifles a child’s development because it fails to offer the benefits that come with having a different teacher each year: Every teacher brings something different. No single teacher can provide everything or is a good match for every student. New teachers help children to learn and evolve in different ways. I have come to believe that if having the same teacher for grades 1-8 were truly beneficial to learning outcomes, then at least some other schools would have adopted the practice; I am not aware of any that have. We urge parents looking into MCWS to fully consider this and other aspects of the school before their children spend years there like ours did.

Posted: March 5, 2020

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Posted: January 20, 2020

Maine Coast has an extraordinary community of supportive, creative, and enthusiastic families. My kids are so excited to go to school each day and come home full of stories of the day and excited about what they have learned. I feel like they are connecting deeply with what they are learning, and it leads them to ask more questions, to be more engaged with the world around them. I feel confident that they are building a foundation that will help them to be the kind of people we need in the world right now, and that the extraordinary experience they are getting at MCWS will be one of the most meaningful of their lives.

Posted: January 20, 2020

I was surprised that real homework didn't start until the 5th grade or so, but am so grateful for the way teachers introduce not only the concept of homework but also how to manage time and work effectively. By the time my child reached 5th grade, he was actually excited to bring his work home and sit at his desk and focus on meaningful work, not busy work.

Posted: January 20, 2020

One the strengths of Waldorf education is the understanding that in this incredibly changing world, we don't know exactly what skills our kids will need to have when they go out into the world, but we know that need to be be learners, to be curious and ask questions, to be excited about learning. At each grade level the lessons are given at an age appropriate level with an emphasis on play and exploration. I have one child who is pretty anxious, and the way the material is presented eases those anxieties so well. Without grades or tests, he is able to simply enjoy learning. Waldorf teachers receive an extensive education and it really shows at Maine Coast. As kids move through the grades, you can see the pieces fit together beautifully - what they learn in the EC and early grades lays the foundation for the deeper work as they get older. The teacher at Maine Coast exude love for their work and this has a big impact on the kids.

Posted: January 20, 2020

The most amazing thing I have seen over the past few years is the development of my son's and that of his classmates as people. They are grown so much as individuals and as a group. This is where the holistic approach to education really shines - the kids are given the opportunity to develop a true sense of empathy and respect in a meaningful way, through their interactions with each other and with the natural world.

Posted: January 20, 2020

Posted: January 20, 2020

My child has some challenges in the classroom setting and has received wonderful support from his classroom teacher, the other special teachers (handwork, movement, strings) and the educational support staff. Kids aren't singled out as "problem kids" - there is an understanding at every child struggles with something, and the school takes it as their responsibility to address the child's needs as he or she grows. Having the same classroom teacher for 8 years is a tremendous asset, the teacher gets to the know the children in his or her class so well and it able to identify challenges that might arise.

Posted: January 20, 2020

Waldorf education is a social one, where diverse opinions and perspectives serve as the basis for much of the learning experience. Class teachers at Maine Coast are highly in tune with the dynamics within a class or a group and work proactively to identify and address problems. My son and a classmate were getting on each others' nerves and the teasing between them was increasing. The class teacher suggested that they should have an after school play date and that made huge difference in resetting that relationship. There is an understanding that there will always be conflict between kids but that intervening at the appropriate time with compassion and empathy will give the kids the tools they need to navigate difficult relationships.

Posted: April 29, 2019

Our family has thoroughly enjoyed our 7 years at MCWS. Our son has had some learning issues to work through, but everyone at the school has been open and helpful. Our son loves going to school every day!

Posted: April 29, 2019

Our son has been gradually introduced to homework over time and the work has not been strictly memorization or a waste of time. He has been able to construct good time management without feeling overwhelmed with too much work. Homework from MCWS also includes 5 days of instrument practice, book reading, math problems, writing exercises, etc

Posted: April 29, 2019

Our son has had the same class teacher for 5 years. They have come to understand his weaknesses, strengths and have developed strategies that best suit his sometimes distracted learning style.

Posted: April 29, 2019

One of the things our family values most about MCWS is it's holisitic approach to education. The focus is not on strictly on academics, but teaching the whole child.

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Posted: March 31, 2019

Maine Coast Waldorf School was life-changing for me. I cannot thank them enough.

Posted: March 31, 2019

The more gradual approach to homework introduction meant that I got to be a child when I was a child, but leave highschool fully prepared for college. In fact, the workload in highschool far exceeded what has been asked of me in college.

Posted: March 31, 2019

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Posted: October 2, 2018

Our children were at Maine Coast Waldorf School until recently. Our experience was very different from what the previous commenter described. The previous commenter sounds as if she/he is on the faculty or Board of Directors. Regarding the comment that "In reality, the teaching faculty are trained by accredited Waldorf teacher training programs", I would suggest that any parent considering this school look into what an "accredited Waldorf teacher training program" entails. It trains the teachers extensively in an elaborate philosophical belief system and not enough in how to actually run a classroom. And it shows.

Posted: October 2, 2018

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Posted: September 26, 2018

I would highly recommend Maine Coast Waldorf School for anyone interested in a whole-child, Waldorf, education from PK through High School.

Posted: September 26, 2018

Homework begins in the upper elementary years, by which time the students are usually very enthusiastic about it. This has been the experience of my children and many of the parents in their respective classes. Homework does ramp up as they enter into Middle School and becomes quite intense in High School. Generally, homework is not on regurgitating facts, but synthesizing material which has been presented and extending the material presented into novel concepts.

Posted: September 26, 2018

I have seen individuals complain that there are inherent problems if you get 'stuck' with a 'bad' teacher in the grade school (grades 1-8). In reality, the teaching faculty are trained by accredited Waldorf teacher training programs. There is a tremendous amount of work which the faculty bring into their academic content, which includes differentiation and scaffolding, to meet what seems to be an increasing neurodiversity present in the students of today. Whereas in a school in which teachers may only be with a student for a single year, the looping which is found in Waldorf schools (and MCWS) allows the teacher and student (and family!) bond to develop through the years so that the teacher is able to meet the educational needs of the child. This has definitely been my experience with watching my on children unfold at this school, and is largely the experience of their classmates.

Posted: September 26, 2018

As an education which focuses on social education, one can look at the ways in which the curriculum are designed to cause human interaction across a wide variety of experience. Whether it is through time outdoors (be it in play, the phenomenological study of botany or astronomy, surveying, cartography, etc.), on field trips designed to strengthen our interpersonal connections while educating on a variety of academic disciplines, community service projects, or rich person-to-person interactive experiences within the classrooms, MCWS has done a tremendous job helping to educate not only the character of the students, but their grit, resilience, and a love of learning.

Posted: September 26, 2018

Waldorf schools are faculty-led, which means it is the faculty who guide the pedagogical decisions around curriculum. If you think about this, it is the faculty who have the most in-depth knowledge of the children before them, not a group of individuals who have no knowledge of the children. The school has grown in leadership to hire administrators who support the work of the faculty, as well. This is a very unique form of governance which, along with a very involved Board of Trustees, helps to keep the school on the cutting edge of what education can be.

Posted: September 26, 2018

In the past years I have watched as MCWS has invested in more faculty and faculty training to help support students with learning differences. This is in the form of additional literacy and numeracy supports, social/emotional/behavioral supports, and having multiple teachers available to teach in some classes, where the learning difference present require it.

Posted: September 26, 2018

Over the years I have seen the school become far more robust in their manner of addressing the topic of bullying. The faculty and administration are very responsive to teacher, parent, and student requests to address this topic in a variety of developmentally-appropriate and responsive ways. I have first-hand been involved with this topic with one of my children and could not be happier about the way in which this was handled for both my child (the one who was on the receiving end) and the other child. It was sensitive and caring, yet clear around what expectations are at school for behavior.

Posted: August 22, 2018

took us a few years to see the problems the school has

Posted: August 22, 2018

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Posted: June 28, 2017

Nursery and K are excellent. Teachers are highly experienced and skilled. They provide a truly wonderful education for young children. In grades 1-8, the teachers are inexperienced. First grade teacher is a nearly always a new hire with no experience, which affects the education of every student and creates a very poor foundation as they move through the grades. Essentially, you pay $20,000 for your child to be a "guinea pig" for a brand-new teacher, usually someone who likes the Waldorf philosophy but brings little else to the table. In addition, while Waldorf approach is very appealing in many ways, it has real drawbacks. For example, the teacher instructs the class as a whole throughout the day, meaning all the students have to go at same pace with no way to meet the needs of individuals. Even older staff who should be well qualified simply are not. The person leading educational support services, for example, completely lacks background for the job.

Posted: June 28, 2017

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Posted: May 12, 2017

This has been addressed in previous posts.

Posted: May 12, 2017

If your child has any developmental challenges you will need to have them diagnosed and supported outside the Waldorf school (speech/occupational therapy are two that come to mind). The Waldorf teachers may tell you not to worry about little Sally’s speech difficulties, or bobby’s outbursts and physicality in class, but I assure you, you need to seek help from professionals who have a great deal more training and understanding of your child’s needs. The sooner you seek support specific to their needs, the better the outcome.

In the grades, they have members of the community working in positions of educational support. Request references, training, background etc. for the educational support person they are employing on campus. Very often, the personal does not have any or minimal training in the field. We recommend you seek all support off campus - add this cost to your tuition, gas, volunteer time/lost wages when considering the school.

Posted: May 12, 2017

Posted: May 12, 2017

As a former Waldorf family, I am writing this review in the hope that your family might spend more time looking at the school critically before making a choice to attend.

There is so much more we could share from our experience, some good, some bad, but in the end you need to do your own research, thoroughly. Talk to friends and neighbors, ask around about the school. Call your local school and ask about any Waldorf “graduates” they have taken in. Were they well educated? Did they need a lot of academic or behavioral interventions because the Waldorf school was not able to provide it? Maine Coast Waldorf School is a beautiful campus, but no panacea for your educational needs.

Posted: May 12, 2017

Like many who come to Waldorf, our children were young and we fell in love with the EC classroom and teachers. I think what they offer for many young children is beautiful and enriching, however, if your child has any developmental challenges you will need to have them diagnosed and supported outside the Waldorf school (speech/occupational therapy are two that come to mind). The Waldorf teachers may tell you not to worry about little Sally’s speech difficulties, or bobby’s outbursts and physicality in class, but I assure you, you need to seek help from professionals who have a great deal more training and understanding of your child’s needs. The sooner you seek support specific to their needs, the better the outcome.

There are 2 great weaknesses to the Waldorf school movement - the structure of the school, and the training the teachers receive. Locally, most teachers attend the Antioch School of New England and receive a 28-credit, Waldorf Teachers Certificate. They are also required to complete study in Anthroposophy, a philosophy created by Rudolf Steiner, and the basis for all Waldorf school education. Go to Antioch’s website and check out the course listing for this Certificate. Have your friends who are teachers check it out, and discuss with them their own training versus what you see for a Waldorf teacher. This limited, dogmatic training results in major challenges in the classroom. Teachers at Maine Coast struggle for command of their classrooms. Further, the children aren’t well supervised on the playground, resulting in a level of bullying that would never be tolerated in most schools. There is no testing until grade 6 or 7 - teachers are expected to “know" if the children are learning and how well. The curriculum was set by Rudolf Steiner and does not reflect 100 years of social change and growth. It is experiential learning without acceptable academic measures.

Posted: May 12, 2017

There is no principal. The school is mostly run by the teachers, with help from many, many parent volunteers. If you have an issue or concern with your class teacher, all the teachers meet together to discuss it. You can discuss it with the Administrator, but that position has no authority. The authority at the school is held by the teachers, as a group. When you meet with your teacher to discuss a concern or serious problem, no one takes notes. In our experience, there is no documentation, no written plan of action, or official follow-up. Although public school may seem impersonal with its meetings and paperwork, be thankful for it. They have established a process, which everyone must follow, to ensure problems are addressed and everyone is treated fairly. At the beginning, we thought it was great to meet with our class teacher and discuss our child like a family member or neighbor might, but in the end, a school without formal structure and rules allows chaos to breed and anguish to flourish.

Posted: May 12, 2017

In our experience, children's behavior is a reflection of their home life, regardless of how much money you spend on their education. However, there is one concept Maine Coast Waldorf promotes - allowing two children who are not getting along to "rub up against" each other. They believe it creates character and compassion - the bully learning from their victim, and vice versa. To this end, the Waldorf teacher will place their desks next to each other in the classroom, or make them partners in a project or cleaning chore, without the parent's knowledge. This is counter-intuitive, and many parents are persuaded to "go along" with the concept, resulting in months or years of stress for the family of the submissive child.

Posted: January 17, 2017

Posted: January 17, 2017

See my previous response related to this issue.

Posted: January 17, 2017

There is virtually no capacity to accommodate students with learning differences.

Posted: January 17, 2017

Posted: January 17, 2017

They talk a lot about this but do not actually do it. There are serious problems with behavior and discipline at the school. The teachers and staff either do not want to or do not know how to address these issues.

Posted: January 17, 2017

A few teachers are excellent. But most are mediocre or poor. Unfortunately, teachers move through the grades with the students, so if your child gets a bad teacher you are stuck with them for grades 1-8.

Posted: January 17, 2017

The early childhood program (nursery and kindergarten) are excellent with fantastic teachers who provide a terrific environment for the children. Unfortunately, the same is not true once you get into the grades and high school. This is based on what we experienced over many years. Most of the teachers and staff are former or current parents of students at the school, and while they generally are nice people who mean well, they simply do not have the skills or expertise to handle the complexities and challenges of teaching and operating a school. It is a good place for nursery and kindergarten, but I would not recommend it for first grade or higher. That is why I give it one star -- it's an average of the ratings I would give across nursery through 12th grade.

Posted: January 15, 2016

Our children, grade school and middle school, wake up in the morning excited to go to school. They are greeted as they walk up the path to their respective buildings by fellow students, classmates, teachers, and parents. Their teacher looks into their eyes and shakes their hand, welcoming them into the classroom, often sharing small details of the day. Their teachers know these children. When parents go into conferences, it's not parents trying to convey to the teacher who their child is. The teacher already knows. Conferences are not simply a discussion only about academic performance, but also their social life, their life at home and their interests. Are they challenged? Yes. Are they nurtured? Yes. Are they taught at the same pace as other schools? No. This is what differentiates Waldorf education from other types of education. Students are met at their development. Play is encouraged in the earliest years. Story telling teaches life lessons. Hands-on activities build skills so they make take up the pencil and begin to form letters, words and learn to read. Waldorf is not always easy to explain. It must be experienced. With this unfortunately comes misunderstanding from those who want a simple description. If you commit the time to visit, plan to observe and talk to students at various ages, you will begin to get an idea of how this education works. If you want a child that can think and speak for themselves, look people in the eye when they speak, are eager to go to school, have opportunities to have music and foreign languages as part of the standard curriculum and believe they can make a difference in the world, then take the time to visit, to learn, to talk to parents and students. This is a school with incredibly gifted teachers, bringing their unique life experiences and teaching backgrounds together to provide a rich education to all children. Children love to go to school. They are outdoors, have space to breathe, get to be themselves and are part of a safe environment to learn and to grow.

Posted: January 15, 2016

Posted: January 15, 2016

Posted: January 15, 2016

Children are all on equal ground in the classroom. They get to know one another and are appreciated for their differences. They make not always get along with one another, but from this, learn tolerance and respect. This is such a valuable skill as an adult. Work places are filled often with various personalities and occasional conflict. Students at this school learn to work out their differences and to accept one another for whom they are.

Posted: April 30, 2015

This is just a wonderful school. The faculty and staff are extraordinarily dedicated to making sure that EVERY student is treated as a unique individual and receives the education and support that he/she needs. They go far, far out of their way to do this. The other parents and families are very welcoming and it really is a terrific community of people. Overall, your children will get a high-quality education and be prepared for success in life (not just on standardized tests!).

Posted: June 1, 2014

I work at Merriconeag. I drive home every day wondering why more people don't try to send their children to this school. It is a uniquely wonderful place. The faculty care so much about each child.