No. Waldorf schools are non-sectarian and non-denominational, and we welcome families from every faith and background. Waldorf education is at its heart a spiritual and moral journey, so our students will explore songs, stories, and festivals from many cultures and peoples – we explore many ways of being without being tied to any particular religious doctrine. Classroom rhythms foster gratitude, reverence for nature, and a general sense of wonder, and days typically include an opening verse and a blessing for meals. Festivals like Michaelmas and our Winter Faire are rooted in the rhythm of the seasons, not a religious calendar.

In brief: Montessori is child-led, Waldorf is teacher-led. In a Montessori classroom, children choose their own work from a set of specially designed materials and move through lessons largely at their own pace, often in mixed-age groups. At WHWS, a class teacher guides the whole group together through storytelling, rhythm, and shared activities — with plenty of room left for imagination and hands-on discovery, just aimed at the group rather than the individual. Both approaches value hands-on learning and a slower introduction to screens and testing; where they part ways is that Montessori builds independence through structured, self-correcting materials, while Waldorf builds it through imagination, story, and a tight-knit classroom community that stays together year after year.

A single letter grade rarely tells you much about how a child is actually doing, or growing. Instead, our teachers track each student's progress through detailed written assessments and regular conferences with families — looking not just at what a child knows, but how they're developing as a learner: their curiosity, effort, and growth over the course of a year. Traditional grades are introduced gradually as students get older and are ready to put them in healthy context, so by the time they graduate, they're well prepared for high school transcripts and GPAs — without having spent eight years being anxious about them.

Our teachers bring both a college degree and specialized Waldorf teacher training — which prepares them not just to teach a subject, but to understand child development deeply enough to know why a ten-year-old is ready for Norse mythology, or why a math lesson might start with a watercolor painting. Many of our class teachers stay with the same group of students for multiple years (see: Why Waldorf?), and every faculty member continues training each summer alongside master teachers to prepare for the year ahead.

Very well, in our experience. While plenty of our students begin in Early Childhood and continue through the grades, we welcome new families at every grade level, and joining partway through is a normal, well-supported part of life at WHWS. Every new student completes a multi-day classroom visit before enrolling, which helps everyone get a feel for the fit, and our small, close-knit classes tend to welcome newcomers warmly. Most kids settle in within the first few weeks — usually right around the time they realize Main Lesson books and outdoor adventures are way more fun than a typical school day.

WHWS follows Washington State's immunization requirements and asks all families to provide valid immunization records at enrollment. In the rare case of a vaccine-preventable disease exposure at school, we follow state and local public health guidance, which may include temporarily excluding unimmunized students to protect the health of the community.

Oh, you’re our kind of person. See our Giving page for opportunities to support the school financially, and our Volunteering page if you have time and talent you’d like to share.

Our admissions process is designed to help families and students make an informed decision based on your needs and values.

Prospective families are invited to schedule an adults-only tour of the school (or speak with our Enrollment Coordinator, if you are not local to Bellingham yet) to better understand our educational philosophy and the physical facility.

Then we invite families to complete an online application and take part in a family visit (Early Childhood classrooms) or a 3-day class visit (in grades 1-8).

Learn more about our admissions process.

Priority applications are due on February 1, 2027.

See our Admissions Overview page for more information.

We have a limited number of openings in our Early Childhood classrooms and will continue to accept applications until classes are full.

Contact Admissions for up to date information, or begin an online application.

We still have openings in multiple grades and are continuing to accept applications on a rolling basis.

Contact Admissions for more details, or begin an online application.

Our Nursery program currently has a waiting list. Applications are accepted on a rolling, space-available basis throughout the year.

Contact Admissions for more details, or begin an online application.

We believe firmly that an excellent Waldorf education should be affordable.

Learn more about tuition.

We offer Tuition Assistance for students in Kindergarten through 8th grade.

Learn more about our Tuition Assistance program.