Private school approval in Washington state is governed by Chapter 28A.195 RCW and WAC 180-90. This application is for new, in-person private schools seeking approval under these provisions. Online-only schools are not eligible for approval.
Schools currently approved by the State Board of Education must apply for renewal using the 2026-27 Renewing Private School Approval Application.
To qualify for approval, schools must certify compliance with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements by submitting this application.
New Private School Approval Applications may be submitted at any time, but no later than 90 days prior to the start of the annual school term, consistent with WAC 180-90-130. However, only complete applications received at least 45 calendar days prior to a State Board of Education meeting may be eligible for recommendation to the Board for approval at that meeting. See State Board of Education Meeting Schedule for meeting dates.
Your application is ready for submission when you have finalized and documented:
If your school’s location has been secured and inspections have been scheduled but not yet completed, you may upload a letter detailing your inspection dates and submit your application. In this case, your application will remain incomplete and on hold until all documentation is received by the Private Schools Manager.
After you begin, you may save your progress and return to your application at any time using the “Save and continue later” option.
When you return to the survey using the emailed link, you will be taken to the last page you completed in full, but you will still be able to navigate back to previous pages to make changes or review your entries.
For additional guidance, visit the Private School Approval | SBE webpage or contact the Private Schools Manager at privateschools@k12.wa.us.