The Washington State Board of Education’s online Private School Approval Application for the 2026–27 school year launches March 2. April 1 is the renewing school deadline.
✔Gather Required Documents
- Certificate of Compliance (required for all schools)
- Staffing Report (required if employing six or more non-Washington state certificated main classroom or subject area teachers)
What this means:
At the end of the approval application, the Head of School must sign a Certificate of Compliance attesting that the school is in compliance with state law. That piece of paper needs to be uploaded to the SBE.
A separate staffing report sheet, the one used last year, is now required only for schools with 6 or more non-certificated lead teachers. If you have fewer, just list them within the approval application itself.
✔ Confirm Login Credentials
Renewing schools will need:
- Head of School email address
- School building code(s)
Before March 2, check the Approval Application Status Tracker on the State Board’s Private School Approval webpage to confirm the information on file for your school.
Important:
Each campus requires a separate renewal application and has a separate building code. If your school operates a campus at a second mailing address that is not yet approved, you must complete two applications: a renewal for the initial building and a New School Application for the second location.
✔ Review Inspection Records
All schools must report the year of their most recent:
- Environmental health inspection
- Fire inspection
- New schools and schools that have recently moved or been renovated will need to upload the inspection paperwork.
What that means:
SBE wants the DATE of your last health and safety inspection. Health and safety inspections are done by the local health department every three years. Or, if you’ve moved or done a major renovation, the SBE wants the sign-off sheet from the health department to show that you got the right health and safety inspection for new buildings/spaces.
