Desert Star Community School

Wonderful school! We are blessed to have it here in the Verde Valley. Such a strong foundation for learning. The staff is wonderful and supports all learning styles.

So lucky to have this star of a school in a world gone mad. a public Waldorf education, stellar arts and theatre, rigorous academics in upper grades, rich community life, and strong ties to nature and virtue.

our first year here, was the best choice we made . our child has developed strong friendships and loves his teacher and the staff. hiking in the morning to open up your mind . various field trips to discover new and exciting things.wood working classes , learned the piano , art classes , spanish , and oh man the end of the year trip was the best. overall my experience at this school has been fantastic . the teachers and staff are amazing and very in tuned with each students needs .this school has enhanced the view my son has about school in general , my son loves going to school everyday .cant wait till august .

For months, I have respectfully tried to communicate with school staff and administrators about my daughter who lives with her mother. Repeatedly, my calls have gone unanswered or have been received in an unprofessional manner. And now, my daughter has left your school and is 'missing.' I have little to no idea where she or her mother are. I am greatly disappointed that the office staff (Sue) and administrators (Cheryl LeBlanc, Yvan Rich and Craig Imler) have done nothing to professionally support a child's relationship with both parents and have perpetuated the unwarranted estrangement of a child and her father. A Community school should support a child's entire community, not half of it. For the entire story: gofundme.com/findmydaugh

My son has attended this school for 3 years and we both couldn't be happier. Whoever commented that this school doesn't use textbooks or adhere to state/federal curriculum was either mistaken or uninformed. There are textbooks, AIMS review workbooks, spelling words, multiplication quizzes, etc. Some things do "look" different at this school as opposed to public schools, such as students work in Main Lesson books rather than worksheets that are sent home every day. So while all the extras offered (like hiking, woodworking, violin, Spanish, and handwork) are nice, it isn't done to take away from the academics of the student, its to ENHANCE the experience. If there were any downside (for some parents) its that its hard to be a sideline parent with no involvement in the school. If a parent is only wanting to drop off their child and let the school be solely responsible for the child's education then this likely isn't the school for you. The only complaint is that things can be disorganized at times although the school has made a concerted effort to help keep parents abreast of news with weekly emails and an updated website. Children are respected AND educated, what more could you want?