Private School Accreditation

Under current state law, accreditation in Washington State is voluntary.

Due to 2006 legislative action under Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill (E2SHB) 3098 the State Board of Education has authority to grant state-recognized accreditation status ONLY to private schools.

For private schools to receive accreditation, they must first be approved by the State Board of Education. Click here to find out about the private school approval process.

The State Board of Education's accreditation process is uniformly implemented statewide through the state's nine geographically-located Educational Service Districts (ESDs).

This process is a collaborative and reflective method that is relevant to the school and combines both internal and external appraisal of the school's school improvement planning activities and of the School Improvement Plan (SIP) itself.

The process requires schools to conduct an in depth self-evaluation of their SIP and a companion evaluation of the school improvement planning process used to develop the plan.

An ESD accreditation process team then conducts a review and schedules a one-day visit to verify understandings of the SIP and the planning process.

For more information regarding accreditation please contact the State Board of Education office at 360-725-6025, or the ESD contacts listed below:

More Accreditation Information

Approved Accrediting Bodies

Northwest Association of Accredited Schools (NAAS)

Schools Accredited Under SBE Revised Process as of August 2005

Schools Accredited Under SBE Process PRIOR to August 2005

 

Washington State
Board of Education
PO Box 47206
600 Washington St. SE
Olympia, WA 98504-7206
360-725-6025