Highlighted Info
Any questions should be directed to:
Private Schools Manager
A private school is a nonpublic school offering a program that includes kindergarten and at least one grade, or any combination of grades one through twelve. Under Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 28A.195.010, the Legislature mandates that the State Board of Education (SBE) annually approve private schools to operate in Washington. These schools must 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.
New School Approval
- Review Private School Laws and FAQs before applying.
- The Head of School will submit the application online.
- Are you an online-only school? Click here for more information.
Renewing School Approval
Log in to submit separate applications for each campus. Use the Head of School’s email address as the username and the school building code as the password. If your organization operates multiple facilities, you must submit a separate application must be completed for each campus.
Check the Status of your Application
Download the Application Status Tracker (Last Updated 4/3/2026)
Key 2026 Dates & Deadlines
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February 13: Deadline to submit Change of Information Alert forms, only for schools whose leadership has changed since last year’s approval process.
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Tuesdays in February: 12:00–12:30 PM: Zoom Q&A Sessions.
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Wednesdays in March: 12-12:30 PM: Zoom Q&A Sessions.
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April 1: Deadline to submit renewing private school approval applications
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May 11: Deadline to submit new private school approval applications and additional materials for consideration at the June 25 meeting
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June 25: Board reviews private school applications; complete applications with no deviations may be eligible for approval
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Mid-July: Schools are notified of approval status, and newly approved schools are assigned building codes
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No later than August 1: Heads of School receive an email link to their approval certificate and web badge; a Certificate Lookup Tool is posted on the Private School Approval website
Required Paperwork
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Certificate of Compliance: Signed and uploaded with your application.
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Staffing Report: For schools employing non-Washington certificated teachers.
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Health and Fire Inspection Reports: Required for new or renovated schools.
Note: If you encounter issues downloading forms, try using a different browser.
View Sample Applications
New School Approval: View 2026-27 New Sample Application
Renewing School Approval: View 2026-27 Sample Renewing School Application
What Happens After a School Submits an Application?
View a PDF of this timeline graphic
Confirmation Email
After submitting your application, you will receive a confirmation email. Save this email and forward it to relevant staff within your organization.
Application Status Tracking
Beginning in mid-March, check the status of your application using the Application Status Tracker link (updated weekly). The tracker will note any missing paperwork, application issues, or anticipated approval dates.
Please note: the State Board does not notify individual schools if paperwork is missing.
Review Timeline
Applications are reviewed in the order received.
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Renewing schools: Complete renewal applications with no deviations, submitted by April 1, will be reviewed at the Board’s June 2026 meeting. Additional materials are due May 11.
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New schools (June meeting): Complete new school applications received by May 11 will be considered at the Board’s June 2026 meeting.
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New schools (subsequent meetings): New private school applications may be submitted at any time but must be received at least 45 days prior to a State Board of Education meeting to be eligible for recommendation for approval at that meeting. Applications received after May 11 will be considered at a subsequent Board meeting, provided all materials are complete.
See the 2026 Board Meetings for subsequent meeting dates.
Compliance Requirement
Per Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 180-90-130, schools must file a Certificate of Compliance at least 90 days before the school term starts.
Approval Notification
Schools are notified of approval within the month following the Board's June meeting (or a subsequent meeting if an application was submitted later).
Certificates of Approval
Heads of School will receive an email link to their Certificate of Approval and web badge; a Certificate Lookup Tool is posted on the Private School Approval website.
Are you Temporarily or Permanently Closing a School?
You must submit the Closure Form.
Information for Online-Only Private Schools
According to RCW 28A.195.090, an approved Washington private school may have an online program. However, completely online schools or schools with physical facilities only outside Washington cannot be approved. Washington private school law assumes a physical facility in the state of Washington where students are enrolled and regularly attend (RCW 28A.195.010(6)).
Accessing Your School's Approval Certificate & Digital Badge
After the Board has approved a school during one of its regularly scheduled meetings, Heads of Schools from approved schools should have received an email titled "Your Private School Approval Certificate – Washington State Board of Education." This email includes a link to a webpage where you can download a PDF or image of your certificate. The page also provides access to a digital badge that can be displayed on your school’s website.
If you are a new Head of School or cannot locate the email, you can access your certificate using the Private School Approval Certificate Lookup Tool linked below. Click here to learn more about updating your school's contact information.
Download the Certificate Lookup Tool
(Last Updated 3/2/2026)
If you are unable to access the email account used by the Head of School after the mid-July email has been sent, please contact the Private Schools Manager.
