Private Schools

Highlights

October 4 bulletin: It's time for enrollment reporting!

Contact: privateschools@k12.wa.us

A private school is a non-public school that conducts a program of kindergarten and at least grade one, or a program of any or all grades one through twelve. Approximately five hundred private schools operate in Washington, serving over 80,000 students.

Washington private schools are approved annually by the State Board of Education. Approval indicates the school has met the minimum requirements to insure the health and safety of students, and that the school offers a sufficient program of basic education to meet usual graduation requirements. Approval by the Board does not carry with it an endorsement of the school or its programs. See the list of approved private schools. For a web badge indicating you are an approved school, please contact us.

Annual Reporting Requirements

Private schools are required to submit reports each year to comply with Washington state law. Two reports are required by the Washington State Board of Education, listed below. Several others are required by separate state agencies, including the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Department of Health.

List of resources, including reporting that may need to be submitted to other agencies.

For the Washington State Board of Education:

Enrollment Reporting. The official count day for private school enrollment is typically October 1, and reports are due in mid-November.
Private School Approval. All private schools are approved annually each spring by the State Board of Education.
Private School Approval one-page description.

How to Change Private School Information

Emergency Waivers

In response to COVID-19 disruptions, the Spring 2022 emergency waiver program allows school districts to waive certain credit and subject area graduation requirements on an individual student basis for students who were on track to graduate. Schools whose educational program was disrupted so that the school will be unable to meet hour or day requirements may also waive this requirement. Schools who use this waiver program must notify the State Board of Education by filling out this Private School Emergency Waiver Notification.

To follow developments, please consult the Emergency Waiver Program page.

Please comply with your local health department, Department of Health, and Governor Inslee’s school closures guidelines.

Private School Enrollment

Private Schools	School Year	PreK	KG	Grade 1	Grade 2	Grade 3	Grade 4	Grade 5	Grade 6	Grade 7	Grade 8	Grade 9	Grade 10	Grade 11	Grade 12	Total
487 Schools	2019-20	8338	6031	5457	5165	5157	5086	5050	5596	5432	5146	4493	4413	4053	4191	73608
449 Schools	2020-21	7209	6466	5625	5599	5426	5245	5427	5564	5396	5473	4555	4548	4254	4069	74856
495 Schools	2021-22	10340	7976	7209	6635	6369	6230	6135	6531	6078	6012	5233	4668	4416	4253	88058

Lists of Approved Private Schools

Approved Private Schools
- 2022-2023 (updated September 21, 2022)
- 2021-2022
- 2020-2021
Approval Certificates
- May 2022
- July 2022
- September 2022
Enrollment Data by School
- 2018-2019 Enrollment Data
- 2019-2020 Enrollment Data
- 2020-2021 Enrollment Data
- 2021-2022 Enrollment Data

How to Close a Private School

Private schools that are closing must complete the closure form. Please ensure that records from the closing private school are transferred to a reliable person or entity for storage and that students and parents/guardians understand how to request their records.

Information Links and Resources

Depending on the topic, various offices in different state agencies may be the most appropriate to provide information and supports to private schools. The following is a list of topics with links to resources within state agencies, as well as with other organizations that work with private schools:

Resources

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction