Starting a Private or Independent School

The process to start a new private school in WA State takes 2-3 years on average.

All private schools must be Approved by the State of WA before opening to serve students. The first step is to review the State Board of Education’s Private Schools webpage outlining Becoming an Approved Private School.

If you will be running an all day preK (over 4 hours), you will need a license from the Dept. of Children, Youth and Families: https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/services/early-learning-providers/licensed-provider/licensing-process

If you will be running a school programs for K plus any grade, you will need approval from the State Board of Education: https://www.sbe.wa.gov/our-work/private-schools/private-school-approval

Accreditation and approval are different processes in Washington. It is APPROVAL that is mandatory.