Private Schools FAQs

A private school is a nonpublic school that conducts a program of kindergarten and at least one grade, or a program of any or all grades one through twelve (RCW 28A.195.010). Washington law assumes that an approved private school has a physical (brick-and-mortar) facility in the state where students are enrolled and regularly attend in person. Private schools must be annually approved by the State Board of Education, maintain a program that ensures a sufficient basic education for students to meet usual state graduation requirements, and meet reasonable standards for health and safety of private school students. 

No. Washington law assumes that an approved private school has a physical facility in the state where students are enrolled and regularly attend in person (RCW 28A.195.010(6)). An annually approved Washington private school may offer an online program. However, a completely online school, or a school with physical facilities located only outside of the state, may not be an approved Washington private school.  

A list of approved private schools offering online options can be found on the Private Schools webpage. 

A searchable list of currently approved private schools is available on the Private Schools webpage. Because approval is granted annually, schools must be on the current year’s list to be considered approved. Additional questions may be emailed to the Private Schools Manager. 

 

State law RCW 28A.195.010 recognizes that private schools should be subject to only those minimum state controls necessary to ensure the health and safety of all the students in the state and to insure a sufficient basic education to meet usual graduation requirements. To meet these requirements, private schools must: 

  • Certify that their facilities meet applicable local health and safety standards through regular inspections of the school buildings. 

  • Provide instruction by Washington state certificated teachers or by teachers supervised by a certificated teacher or administrator. 

  • Meet minimum instruction time requirements (1,000 hours or 180 days per year) and subject area requirements.  

  • Enroll full-time students who regularly attend the school. 

For more information concerning legal requirements, see the Private School Laws | SBE page. 

 

For private schools, approval by the State Board of Education is mandatory while accreditation is voluntary. Accreditation is a formal process through which an external organization evaluates a school and grants public recognition for meeting specific standards of quality. State law does not require public or private schools in Washington to be accredited.  

It is possible for a school to be state-approved but not accredited. Only private schools that have State Board approval are eligible for accreditation and may legally operate in Washington.  

For more information, see: Accreditation FAQs | SBE.

Private schools must offer no fewer than 180 school days per year or no fewer than a total school-wide annual average of 1,000 instructional hours for students in grades one through twelve, and at least 450 hours for kindergarten students. (WAC 180-90-160; WAC 180-90-141). These instructional hours must be delivered on-site at the school’s physical facility, in accordance with the requirements for in-person instruction. 

While exceptions to the certification requirement are available for teaching personnel on an individual basis, all classroom teachers are required to hold an appropriate Washington state certification (RCW 28A.195.010 (3) and WAC 180-90-160 (1)(c)). 

See the message from SBE Executive Director, Randy Spaulding, for more information.  

A person who does not hold Washington state certification, but who has special expertise, may teach in exceptional cases if supervised by a Washington state certificated teacher, administrator, or superintendent (WAC 180-90-112).  

A non-Washington state certificated teacher should have at least one of the following qualifications (WAC 180-90-160): 

  • A K-12 teaching certificate from a nationally accredited preparation program, other than Washington state, recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 

  • A baccalaureate degree in the subject to be taught, or in a closely related field. 

  • At least one calendar year of experience in a specialized field that does not generally require a baccalaureate degree, including but not limited to, the fields of art, drama, dance, music, physical education, and career and technical / occupational education. 

Additionally, teachers for religious courses or courses without a public school counterpart must meet the requirements outlined in WAC 180-90-160(1)(c). 

Under WAC 180-90-112 “general supervision” means a Washington state certificated teacher, administrator, or superintendent must be generally available at the school site to observe, advise, and evaluate the non-certificated teacher. This does not mean the certificated person oversees other educators in the school’s personnel structure. Instead, their role is to provide consultation and classroom guidance on pedagogy and classroom management, consistent with Washington teacher training standards.      

Each private school designates a Head of School in their annual approval application form. The Head of School – whether the principal, owner, or other school official – is responsible for accurately submitting and reporting information to the State Board of Education.  

Private School Bulletins, including reminders for reporting and general information that may be of interest to private schools, will regularly be sent to the Head of School and other school personnel the Head of School designates to receive such communications. 

School leaders, admin staff, and board members can now manage their own subscriptions directly by clicking here. 

Note: Exact deadlines vary slightly by year. Check the Washington Federation of Independent Schools website for exact dates this year: Annual Reporting Requirements & Best Practices - WFIS. 

Fall 

Spring 

  • Weapons report to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) School Safety Center by May to July. 

To submit OSPI-required reports and to fill other needs involving state services and processes, each private school will need to have at least one staff person who has access to the Educational Data System (EDS). This staff person should first create an EDS account, if they do not have one already, and then request EDS user roles. Generally, holders of Washington state educator certificates already have an EDS account. 

To create a new EDS account, visit the EDS logon page, and then select the tab “create an account.” 

Further information may be found on the SBE EDS Access webpage. 

To request an EDS user role for a private school staff person, the Head of School should email EDS Support and provide the following information for the intended user: 

  • Full name, including the middle name 

  • Email address 

  • Birthdate 

  • User Role being requested (“Private School Representative” covers the minimum reporting and re-application functions) 

Further information may be found on the Educational Data System (EDS) Access | SBE page. 

If the Head of School has changed, and you have not already done so, please complete a Private School Change of Information Form found on the How to Update Private School Information | SBE page. This step must be completed before requesting a new user role for the Head of School. 

If a private school’s address, contact information, or Head of School changes, the school must submit a Private School Change of Information Form.  This form, available on our website, How to Update Private School Information | SBE (wa.gov) notifies the State Board of the changes and ensures continuity of communication from state agencies. 

Note: Private school information is updated manually twice each month in both the State Board of Education files and OSPI's Electronic Data System (EDS), so there may be a short time lag before changes appear in official records. 

Private school name changes cannot be processed in state records outside of the spring approval application window due to limits with the Educational Data System. Schools will indicate both the new and previous names of the school when logging in to their renewing private school application. 

See Private School Approval for more information. 

All private schools, regardless of grade levels served, must submit the Private School Closure Form to notify the State Board of Education that the school is closing. 

After notifying the Board, records should be transferred to a reliable person or entity for storage, and students and parents/guardians should be informed about how to request them. Because neither the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction nor the State Board of Education can retain records at the state level, submitting the form ensures the Board is aware of how records will be managed. 

Private schools must take measures to safeguard all permanent records against loss or damage through either the storage of records in fire-resistant containers or facilities, or by retaining duplicates in a separate and distinct area. It is also recommended that private schools follow the public School Districts and Educational Service Districts Records Retention Schedule, which specifies that student records – including high school and middle school transcripts, as well as elementary enrollment history and grade progression – be retained for 100 years after the student graduates or withdraws. 

Private schools must take measures to safeguard all permanent records against loss or damage through either the storage of records in fire-resistant containers or facilities, or by retaining duplicates in a separate and distinct area. It is also recommended that private schools follow the public School Districts and Educational Service Districts Records Retention Schedule, which specifies that student records – including high school and middle school transcripts, as well as elementary enrollment history and grade progression – be retained for 100 years after the student graduates or withdraws. 

No student records are retained at the state level. If your school has closed, records are usually stored in one of the following places:  

  • With a larger organization such as a church or association of schools. 

  • With the former head of school or a member of the school’s governing organization. 

  • In some cases, with the public school district, if they agree to store the records. 

If you are unsure where to start, contacting the organization that most closely oversaw or partnered with your school is often the best first step. 

Each private school is assigned a unique identifier (referred to as either the School Code or Building Code) for internal use only. This number, typically four digits or three digits plus one letter, appears in parentheses next to the school’s name in the Educational Data System (EDS). 

The purpose of a high school transcript is to communicate a student’s academic history for all high school courses attempted including the courses, grades, schools, and other information. Best practice is to transfer credits and grades as closely as possible to how they were originally earned. In some cases, adjustments may be necessary if the receiving school uses a different credit-awarding or grading scale. Each private school should establish clear policies for how credits and grades are evaluated and recorded.  

Public schools use the Washington State Standardized High School Transcript. Private schools are not required to use the Standardized High School Transcript, but further information about it may be found on OSPI's High School Transcripts page. 

Yes. Private school students may participate in Running Start but must enroll through the local public school district or high school, have a Running Start Verification form on file for each term and each college, and must be classified as a junior or senior. Junior or senior standing is determined according to the public school district’s grade placement policies. Students enrolled for the sake of accessing Running Start do not need to attend classes at the public high school to participate in Running Start. 

More information about Running Start is available on the OSPI Running Start webpage. 

No. The State Board of Education has limited statutory authority related to the education of adults and no authority related to private schools and adult education. Therefore, State Board approval of a private school does not authorize providing education or awarding of high school diplomas to individuals aged 21 and over. Students under 21 who are still enrolled in a K–12 program may participate in an approved private school’s program.  

An exception is made for students with disabilities. An approved private school is authorized to provide education and award high school diplomas to students with disabilities from age 21 until the end of the school year in which they turn 22. 

See: RCW 28A.195.010 – Private school approval; RCW 28A.150.220(5)(a) – Age limits for K–12 education.