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Joyful Learning Lives Here

Joyful

Learning

Lives Here

Hands-On, Creative, and Community-Driven

At City of Lakes Waldorf School, children learn in a hands-on, screen-free environment rooted in nature, creativity, and community. As a Waldorf school, we nurture the whole child — head, heart, and hands — helping students grow into grounded, confident, and curious individuals, ready to live with purpose, imagination, and heart.

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The New Smart

Our programs

Early Childhood

Toddler, Preschool, Kindergarten

Creative play provides the foundation for all future learning experiences.

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Early Childhood

Elementary School

Grades 1-5

Arts, music, and movement, integrated into a robust, well-rounded academic curriculum.

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Elementary School

Middle School

Grades 6-8

An academically challenging liberal arts education that builds capacity for creative thinking and encourages self-discovery.

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Middle School

At a Glance

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Students consistently score on average 5 grade levels above their current grade level in reading by the end of 7th grade.

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Students consistently score on average 3 grade levels above their current grade level in math by the end of 7th grade.

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overall grade on Niche.

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of families receive tuition assistance.

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Students read an average of 7 novels a year between grade 3–8.

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Grades 1–8 receive between 60–90 minutes of recess a day.

"CLWS has been a life-changing educational experience for my children."

CLWS Parent

“Waldorf has definitely made me the person that I am today. It’s given me a lifelong desire to learn, and the ability to question things that don’t seem right in the world.”

CLWS Alumni Student

“CLWS brings out the best in our children, and also in us as parents.”

CLWS Parent

“CLWS is a place where my classmates aren’t just friends, they’re family.”

CLWS Student

News and Updates

    screen-free classroom viewpoint
    screen-free classroom viewpoint
    screen-free classroom viewpoint

The CLWS Experience

    How Does Play-Based Learning in Waldorf Schools Prepare Children for Academic Success?

    Over the past 20–30 years in the United States, early childhood education has increasingly shifted toward the earlier introduction of literacy and numeracy instruction, expanded academic standards in preschool and…

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    Media Literacy in Waldorf Education Curriculum

    As Waldorf educators, we recognize, as author and educator Kim John Payne reminds us, that screens don’t just entertain; they influence brain chemistry, motivation, and emotional safety. His insights affirm…

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    Slowing Down to Go Far: The Neuroscience Behind the Waldorf Approach

    In a culture that often equates speed with success, education can feel like a race—more content, earlier academics, faster pacing. Yet research in neuroscience shows that learning spaced over time,…

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