Washington Waldorf School

Bethesda, Maryland; 4800 Sangamore Road, Bethesda, MD 20816; six-acre campus bordering parkland, in walking distance of the Potomac River; about 1 mile from the DC border.

Preschool through Grade 12.

Independent, non-denominational Waldorf school; Waldorf/Steiner-based education.

Not equipped to support students with severe learning or behavioral challenges; mild learning differences such as ADHD and dyslexia may be accommodated.

United States

Non-denominational

Start times vary by age group: Seedlings and Nursery begin at 8:45 am; Kindergarten and Grades 1–6 begin at 8:30 am; Grades 7–12 begin at 8:15 am. Dismissal: Seedlings/1/2 day at 12:30 pm; full day at 3:00 pm. After-school programs run 3:00–6:00 pm.

Bus pickup/drop-off in Silver Spring; annual bus fee $2,700.

Application / Enrollment Fees

- Enrollment fee (one time, per family): USD 650.

Annual Tuition — 2026–2027 (by program / grade level)

- Early Childhood — Seedlings (3 half days): USD 13,290 per year.
- Early Childhood — Seedlings / Nursery (5 half days): USD 22,150 per year.
- Early Childhood — Nursery & Kindergarten (5 full days): USD 34,230 per year.
- Lower School — Grades 1–6: USD 38,640 per year.
- Upper School — Grades 7–8: USD 40,950 per year.
- Upper School — Grades 9–12: USD 44,730 per year.

Tuition shown is annual; billing can be scheduled according to the payment plan selected (see Billing schedule and payment terms).

Registration deposit / Enrollment deposit

- Registration deposit (credited toward overall tuition at registration):
- Early Childhood: USD 1,500.
- Grades 1–12: USD 2,000.

Additional / Optional fees

- After-school program (full-year discounted rates):
- Early Childhood After School Program: USD 3,675 per year.
- Lower School After School Program: USD 3,360 per year.
- Drop-in rate for after-school programs: USD 25 (flat fee per drop-in).
- Transportation (roundtrip bus Acorn Hill / Silver Spring — pricing includes school days and snow-delay days):
- Roundtrip per child: USD 2,835.
- One-way per child: USD 1,575.
- Drop-in one-way: USD 15 (per ride).
- 10% sibling discount for second+ riders on the bus.
- Music / instrument costs: starting in Grade 4 through at least Grade 6, students are expected to rent or buy an instrument and take private or small-group lessons; these instrument lesson costs are exceptions to the school's general inclusion of fees in tuition.
- Athletics: a small athletics fee in middle and high school to cover uniform costs; some athletics-related overnight trips may carry additional fees.
- Sibling tuition adjustment: 10% discount for the second child, 20% for the third and subsequent children (applies to tuition).

Billing schedule and payment terms (annual academic year 2026–2027)

- One Payment: single payment due July 1, 2026. A 1% discount is applied for the single-payment option.
- Two Payments: payments due in July 2026 and January 2027.
- Ten Payments: equal monthly payments due each month from July through April.
- Registration deposit is due at registration and is applied toward overall tuition.
- Tuition insurance: 3% of tuition is noted as required for new families on a payment plan.

Payment administration and payment platforms

- The school administers payment plans and billing through an online payment platform (FACTS is referenced as the school's payment platform in the school's tuition and financial-aid materials). Families are enrolled into the school's online payment platform to manage payment schedules and to incorporate additional fees into installment plans. The tuition/tuition-agreement materials also reference paper checks and FACTS transactions in the school's payment and returned-payment policies.

Refunds and withdrawal / tuition insurance

- The enrollment contract places a financial obligation for the full school year's tuition. The school offers tuition-insurance coverage to protect families against certain covered reasons for withdrawal; tuition-insurance terms list covered reasons and the percentage of remaining tuition covered for each covered reason (for example, Medical Withdrawal and Death are examples of covered reasons that can result in 100% coverage of remaining tuition under the insurance declarations). Voluntary withdrawal is generally not covered by the tuition-insurance program (voluntary withdrawal coverage is noted as 0% under the insurer's terms unless specific waiting-period rules are met). Tuition insurance details and the insurer's covered-reason schedule apply to claims and determine recoverable amounts.
- Application/enrollment and annual registration fees are treated as non-refundable/non-transferable in the school's tuition agreement language; registration deposits are applied to tuition at registration. The enrollment contract and tuition-agreement materials state that there is no reduction, refund, or credit for absences, snow days, or student withdrawal except as provided by the tuition-insurance coverage or the school's stated early-withdrawal/contract terms.

Other billing notes and penalties

- Returned-payment and late-payment fees may be assessed; the tuition agreement references fees for missed or returned payments (checks or payment-platform transactions) and reserves rights related to past-due balances (including withholding of records or collection costs).

Contact for fee/tuition account questions

- The school's business office is listed as the contact for tuition and fee–related questions; billing and account management are handled through the school's business office and the payment platform used by the school.