Admissions – Charlottesville Waldorf School

Welcome from the Charlottesville Waldorf School Admissions Office!

We are delighted that you are considering Charlottesville Waldorf School for your family.

Applications for our Early Childhood, Elementary, and Middle School programs are accepted on a rolling basis through the year. Please review the Admissions Process below and contact our Enrollment Coordinator if you have any questions.

If you have already submitted an inquiry and would like to continue your application process, please sign into the portal (click here) and follow the Admissions Checklist.

Parent and Child Program

Our Parent and Child Programs are for children ages 18 months through 6 years, and are weekly morning classes attended with an adult caregiver.

Registration is by session, with several sessions throughout the school year. Please click here to register for upcoming sessions.

Early Childhood Program (drop-off classes for children before 1st Grade):

Playgarden – 2-3 year olds (child must have turned 2 by August 31 of the year they are enrolling)
Kindergarten – 3-6 year olds (child must turn 4 by December 31 of this school year)

Please note: All Early Childhood programs are full for the 2024/25 school year and we are no longer accepting applications.

We are currently accepting applications for the 2025/26 school year.

New applicants to our Early Childhood programs will hear from our Admissions Office in December 2024 to complete your application process.

Requirements for 1st Grade Entrance:

Child must turn 6 before June 1.
Child completes a play-based First Grade Readiness Assessment conducted by our Education Specialist.
Rising first grade applicants will visit for a single 1/2 day in the Kindergarten. Mid-year applicants will complete a 2-3 day Student Visit in the First Grade classroom as detailed below.

CWS Admissions Process:

First Steps

If you are interested in learning more about how your family can join Charlottesville Waldorf School, please begin by submitting our online Inquiry Form, sharing a small amount of information about your child and what type of program you are looking for.

Note: if you have already submitted an inquiry form, you do not need to re-submit. Please sign into your portal account to continue your application or check for messages from our Admissions Office.

Tour our Campus or Attend an Open House

Our Admissions office will let you know about upcoming tours and open house events so you can see our campus and ask questions. While not a requirement for applying, seeing the campus and talking with our enrollment coordinator in person are very helpful for making an informed and confident decision.

Complete your candidate’s Admission File

In addition to the application form which you can complete in the portal, our Admissions Office requires the following:
• a signed Permission to Contact and Records Release form, which will allow us to request information from previous schools. This form is required for all children entering our Grade School, it will be sent to you or you can download it from the link above.
• your student’s transcript from their current or previous school – our Admissions Office will request the transcript and files will be sent directly, but it is often helpful if parents encourage this process by contacting their child’s former school.
• a Teacher Recommendation letter must be sent from a current or recent teacher of your child. This should outline where the child is developmentally, socially and academically. This information is quite helpful to our teachers and is an integral part of the admissions process. The letter should be emailed directly to the CWS Admissions Office (enrollment@cwaldorf.org) from the teacher. If your child has been homeschooled, this letter should come from a coach, lesson instructor, or other adult outside the family, who has been involved with your child and can comment on your child developmentally, socially &/or academically.
• a photo of your child must be uploaded to their admissions profile in the portal. This can be a casual photo from your phone and will be used for identification purposes and kept in the child’s file.

Early Childhood Candidates – Student Visit

Student Visits will be scheduled after the Admissions File is complete.

Kindergarten Candidates who have previously been enrolled in a drop-off school/daycare will have a drop-off Student Visit, taking place 8:30-10am on a day arranged with our Admissions Office. Students will join one of our Kindergarten classes and take part in all activities.

Playgarden Candidates and Kindergarten Candidates who have not been previously enrolled in a drop-off program will complete a 30-45 minute Student Visit with parent(s)/guardian, student, and teacher. These Student Visits take place outdoors on one of our Early Childhood playgrounds.

The invitation for this visit will be sent through our portal – if you are waiting for a student visit, please sign into your admissions account and check for messages from our Enrollment Coordinator.

Early Childhood Admissions Decisions and Waiting List

Families will be notified of the school’s decision regarding admission within 5 business days after the Student Visit ends.

Due to our small class sizes and high application rate, final acceptance to our Early Childhood Programs is dependent on space availability in each class.

If your child is accepted to CWS, you will receive notification of preliminary acceptance after the Student Visit.

When priority registration (generally returning students or siblings of current students) is complete, enrollment contracts will be offered to those with preliminary acceptance.

If all classes have filled, your child will move to current academic year Waiting Pool and will be offered a contract if space becomes available.

Grade School Candidates – Student Visit

Student Visits will be scheduled after the Admissions File is complete.

Candidates to our grade school will complete a 2-3 day Student Visit at CWS, where they will take part in all class activities to the best of their ability.

Parents will meet with the Class Teacher and our Enrollment Coordinator, typically on the final day of the Student Visit, to discuss the child’s experience and to answer any questions that have arisen.

The invitation for this visit will be sent through our portal – if you are waiting for a student visit, please sign into your admissions account and check for messages from our Enrollment Coordinator.

Grade School Admissions Decision and Next Steps

Families will be notified of the school’s decision regarding admission within 5 business days after the Student Visit ends.

If the candidate is accepted, the CWS School Director will extend an Enrollment Contract to your family. You will need to complete the enrollment contract (through the enrollment portal) and create an account in our tuition management platform.

Registration

Once your contract is completed and your child has been enrolled, the Student Registration Checklist must be completed before your child begins school. This check list will be assigned to your family through the portal shortly before the beginning of the school year (or upon completing enrollment for families starting mid-year).

These required forms will include verifying your child’s identity in the school office (original birth certificate or passport must be brought to the office in person), providing a copy of the Virginia School Entrance Health Form from your child’s doctor, adding non-parent/guardian emergency contacts to your child’s profile, and providing and verifying additional information to complete your child’s school file.