Wildcat Canyon Community School

El Sobrante
Private School
operated by The East Bay Waldorf School Association, Inc.
Language(s):
English
Grades:
K-8
Website:
https://wildcatcanyon.org/
Email:
admissions [at] wildcatcanyonschool.org
Address:
3800 Clark Road, El Sobrante, CA 94803
Affiliation:
Waldorf
Editors' Notes:

Wildcat Canyon Community School occupies the site of the former East Bay Waldorf School which closed in Summer 2020 and is now doing business as (DBA) Wildcat Canyon Community School as of March 2021. See also: Wildcat Canyon Community Preschool

2 parent questions ▼
5 parent reviews ▼

Parent Q&A

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  • Recent Experience at Wildcat Canyon Community School?

    –
    Jan 3, 2023

    Hello Families,

    I am wondering if anyone has recent experience with the 5th or 6th grade program at the newly re-started Wildcat Canyon Community School in El Sobrante (formerly East Bay Waldorf)? We are very interested in them as a possible middle school option, but the newness of the restart has us concerned about its stability. We'd hate to make such a big transition twice. Are your kids feeling safe and happy in their 5th or 6th grade classes? How is the math and writing instruction? How many kids are there in each of the upper grades?

    Thank you for any insight!

    Jan 3, 2023

    No responses received.

  • Wildcat Canyon Community School (East Bay Waldorf)

    –
    Dec 17, 2021

    We are looking at Kindergartens for next year. We are very drawn to the Wildcat Canyon Community school but have a few reservations we were hoping parents could weigh in on. 

    There is a solid possibility we won’t be able to afford to keep our kid there for more than 2-3 years. Can anyone speak to how kids do if they have to transition to a public school for second or third grade? Do they tend to be caught up by then? I know leaving after K can cause them to be behind. 

    I know Waldorf has Christian roots but can anyone speak to how much religion influences the curriculum? There was a question on the application asking about our family’s spiritual practices that took me by surprise. 

    But my main concern is I don’t want to set my kid up to struggle if we have to change schools and they are way behind the other kids.

    thanks so much for any insight!

    Dec 17, 2021

    We're at the school in the lower grades. 

    Switching in 1st or 2nd might be an issue, since reading and writing isn't really taught until 2nd grade. (I've had this concern myself for possibly transferring eventually.) 

    I've been told a number of parents do extra academic stuff outside of school. We might start--we've just been relying on ours starting off somewhat ahead, since we did public school before.

    I haven't seen or heard anything concerning about religion/spirituality. I had similar concerns, but don't remember any questions about it in the application. Maybe it's changed.

    This is the first year the school's being run as a co-op--which is good and bad. Everything is run by consensus and there's no admin staff. Also, as a co-op, the school needs a lot of help--so parents volunteer quite a bit. 

    We have had a great experience so far. We love the music, kindness, outside time/nature, art, and beauty. The focus on emotional growth/empathy has been very valuable for our child's development.  But academics are a real concern for us as well. 

    Side note-- Waldorf has an anti-vax reputation, but this school follows Contra Costa guidelines about vaccination requirements and covid protocol. 

    Jan 7, 2022

Parent Reviews

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RE:
Any schools that hand out little to no homework? (Nov 6, 2023)

You didn't say how old your kid is, but if you're looking for a more balanced elementary school school experience I would thoroughly recommend the Waldorf model. Our kid is in first grade at Wildcat Canyon Community School in El Sobrante (near Richmond) and has absolutely 0 out of school responsibilities. I believe that in third grade kids start being expected to do instrument practice outside of school but nothing else. Having unstructured time to play, do chores, etc. is really important to the Waldorf model. Happy to talk more about the school if you're interested--feel free to PM me!

Nov 8, 2023

Love this School! My son is in his second year here and we are very pleased. The teachers are very kind and educated. The days are full for the children and they spend tons of time in nature! There is hiking, outdoor games, gardening, chickens, sheep and local wildlife all around. If you want your child to thrive using their imagination and curiosity this is the place for you! The community of parents has been an amazing support for my son and I as I am a single parent and thrive in community. This place has saved me and my son from the undue stress of most traditional schools. I can't recommend the school enough.

Feb 15, 2023
RE:
Which private school for active, tactile kid? (Apr 22, 2022)

My 5-year-old is finishing up her second year at Wildcat Canyon Community School in El Sobrante (formerly East Bay Waldorf) and we couldn't be happier. We attended preschool for part of the 2019-2020 school year (until the world shut down) and were back for kindergarten this year, so I feel like we can speak to the early childhood experience.

First things first: the program is still Waldorf-inspired and so there are no formal academics in kindergarten (and based on your child's birthday, they would likely start in kinder this fall and stay there for 2 years; the kinder program includes kids from ages 4.5 through 6.5 and most kids do two years). The kindergarten curriculum includes singing, dancing, painting, drawing, lots of physical activity, and chores (the children chop vegetables, knead bread dough, sweep their classroom, etc.) They learn handicrafts (sewing, "finger-knitting") and in the latter half of the year they've been doing some woodworking. They also celebrate lots of festivals from all around the world.

This year, the children spent almost all their time outside. The school abuts Wildcat Canyon and has over 90 acres of land of its own, so there are lots of places to play! Our daughter comes home muddy most days and happy all the time.

Happy to talk more if this sounds like it might be a good fit. Feel free to PM me.

Apr 27, 2022

Hi!

There’s a work day at the school this Sunday 10-3pm, it might be a great opportunity for you to meet some of the teachers, many of the parents and have all your questions answered.

My daughter is a rising first grader, we’ve been with the school since 2016 and I can’t say enough good things about it. I do hear you about the Christian roots, which is also something I have started thinking about lately, in my experience everyone is very open and you can address how you feel about it to the teacher. The school has a diversity and inclusion circle and also a circle of belonging. I highly encourage you to come and to talk to as many people as you can.

And like someone already said, there is a sliding scale model for tuition.

Hope it helped 😊

Jan 31, 2022

WCCS is an amazing place. A dedicated group of teachers and parents came together and created a school with a non-hierarchical, collaborative structure and a sliding scale tuition to make it accessible to all families. Social justice is deeply woven into WCCS in a variety of ways. The teachers are wonderful, getting to know and appreciate each child, and the arts are not only integrated into the curriculum, but given the same weight as subjects like math and writing. The year is marked by community celebrations of diverse cultural traditions; in November, the community celebrated Dia de los Muertos with an all-school ofrenda, and Diwali with diyas and rangoli. You walk onto the beautiful campus and feel a true sense of warmth. We discovered WCCS by chance after two years of homeschooling, and we imagined it would be a big adjustment for our kids. Yet from the first day, they have jumped up in the morning to go to school. They feel comfortable there, and excited by what they're learning and doing. We're grateful to be part of this community!

Nov 18, 2021