Malamalama Waldorf School

What a wonderful, affordable Waldorf school. The staff is small and always eager to hear new ideas. The teachers are patient, firm and fun. Students actually LOVE their school and that says a lot. Tuition is extremely inexpensive for a Waldorf school. Most Waldorf schools are $3,000 and up a month, Malamalama is tiny fraction of that amount and yet still offers financial assistance. The classroom sizes are from 20 to 12 children in each and are beautifully organized. There is no bright plastic junky bins and toys at this school. If aesthetics are important to you this school will please you. The Rudolph Steiner education philosophies are not for everyone so naturally many people will criticize. It is a very artistic, creative, spiritual school that produces children who are innovative and driven as adults. Weekly activities besides the basics include Hawaiian studies, Spanish lessons, waterpainting, knitting, ukulele/violin lessons, singing & lots of movement. The school serves only fresh 100% organic vegetarian lunches & will cater to any diet (vegan, gluten free, meat eaters, etc). I couldn't be more pleased with this school and look forward to sending my third child here.
--Submitted by a parent

My brothers and sisters, we were all at this school and we liked it to begin with. The teachers are very different some are really good and some are really not good. My teacher let bullying happen in the classroom every day to one child she didn't like and who she was mean to. I found our teacher crying in the classroom and she got mad at me and I felt very bad because I went back to get my schoolbag I forgot. There were two teachers that the parents complained about a lot but nothing changed. Some adults are upset because the school is not like a Waldorf school. I would have been happy for it to just be a good school. The elective teachers are really nice and there are lots of good things about the school. I did not feel safe with my teacher because I never knew what she was going to be like to me or the other kids. She made even the smart kids have extra tutoring because the school gets money for it I think. That made everyone feel like they were dumb. Some parents said no to extra tutoring for their kids and their kids did really well because they didn't feel dumb. The people in the office are very nice. I am rating the stars for my one teacher.

We wish this was a better review. There are many good-hearted and well-intentioned people at the school but the lack of professionalism and rudeness we encountered became too much to have our children around. They now attend HAAS, which seems to have a much better idea of what the heart and rigor of Waldorf education means. We took our children out after trying it for a year.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter has completed two years at this school and my son is in preschool. Having moved here from the mainland, I can say with great confidence that there is no school that offers better education on this side of the island. The teachers are high caliber and are Waldorf trained. The school teaches math, reading, and science in a very creative, child-centered way, which makes learning so much more enjoyable. The teachers are so good at communicating with the parents about student progress so I know what areas my child needs extra help on. The small class sizes are a plus as teachers get to know their students so much better.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter is in 3rd grade here. She transferred here out of public school, because the curriculum there was so watered down. What a difference! All the teachers I've met love their job here, and are dedicated. Smaller class sizes are great, and the teachers follow their students up till the eighth grade. What's not to love? I don't know why some reviews are so negative!
--Submitted by a parent

Malamalama Waldorf is an excellent school! My child is happy, and is thriving. He is learning so much and is an avid reader because of the waldorf way of teaching reading. I am very please with our choice to send our son to Malamalama .
--Submitted by a parent

my son was in this school, but after one month with a teacher that should have retired years ago, I pulled him out. The kindness and fairness was NOT there, although the other specialty teachers were exceptional and appreciated, I did not have any other choice of core subjects teacher. The celebrations of weird icons/subjects was too much for us as well. Rather and odd approach to learning, not for us. Over the top tuition!
--Submitted by a parent

Our daughter recently started at Malamalama and we could not be more pleased with the education that she is getting. It is a beautiful environement for her - both physically and emotionally harmonious for the childhood wonder years. The teaching curriculum is first rate and the overall Waldorf philosophy is very consistent with our family beliefs. The school is currently undergoing a lot of growth because many new families have moved into the area and are discovering this treasure.
--Submitted by a parent

My 3 sons are past students of Malamalama Waldorf School. They all received a strong fundamental basis for their post elementary education. The eldest is a PhD (physics) candidate at UO; the second is soon to receive his BA in Business (all on his own dime); the third is a 4.0 high school studenet attending college-level classes through 'Running Start.' I think the environment for the students is unique and nurturing, and it is a great juxtaposition for our over-technical modern times.
--Submitted by J Hannigan, a parent

We are new to Waldorf education. Our first exposure to it's beauty was at Kona Pacific. When we came to the MWcampus, the intimate atmosphere and beautiful grounds were what we were looking for. Teachers and parents made our search complete. Next our decision was to also bring our middle schooler here from the west side of the island. We are very happy that we did, he loves it. All of his class mates in the 7/8 are great students and caring individuals. It isn't too much to ask for a middleschooler to be kind, respectful, &thoughtful. We found a good match, and my son's creativity has soared. I wished we'd started him sooner. At least his younger sister will have the opportunity to grow from this fantastic teaching.
--Submitted by a parent