School History
The Chicago Waldorf School was founded in 1974 with a kindergarten class in a rented classroom at the Church of the Three Crosses in Lincoln Park. There were five children and one teacher. Three years later, in 1977, a 1st Grade was added and the school began to grow at a rate of one grade per year until the first nine-member 8th Grade graduated in 1985. The school moved to its current Rogers Park location in 1994 when it added a 9th and 10th grade. The first nine seniors graduated in 1997 and the school has never looked back.
As our school has developed, we have often had occasion to refer to it as a baby, a toddler or an adolescent. Today, with a full twelve-year curriculum and an enrollment of about 340 students, our school is clearly a vigorous young adult. In terms of growth and stability, we have come a long way from that fledgling kindergarten. Our Parent-Child program, begun in 1992, has grown to be the largest Waldorf program of its kind in North America and continues to expand offerings to meet the needs of the Greater Chicago community.
The Chicago Waldorf School is fully accredited by the Association of Waldorf Schools in North America (AWSNA) and the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) and is recognized by the State of Illinois. We are also an active member of the Lake Michigan Association on Independent Schools (LMAIS).