2026 January Looking Ahead

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 01/20/2026 09:30 AM PST

2026 January Looking Ahead

Welcome to the new year! We hope you had a safe and restful winter holiday. Below you will find a list of important dates, deadlines, as well as a checklist to help you prepare for the annual approval process.

Dates & Deadlines

Mark your calendars with the following key dates:

March 2: Online approval application launch.

Wednesdays in March: Zoom Q&A Sessions will be hosted every Wednesday in March from 12-12:30. Links to attend will be available soon

April 1: Deadline to submit renewing private school approval applications.

Mid-April: ESEA Federal Programs application due – questions about the process should be directed to OSPI’s Sheila Gerrish sheila.gerrish@k12.wa.us

May 11: Deadline to submit new private school approval applications and additional materials for consideration at the Board's June 25 meeting.

June 23-25: Board reviews private school applications. Complete applications with no deviations may be eligible for approval.

Mid-July: Schools are notified of approval status and newly approved schools are assigned building codes.

No later than August 1: Heads of School will receive an email link to their approval certificate and web badge. A Certificate Lookup Tool is posted on the Private School Approval webpage.

For additional details and resources, visit Private School Approval.

Approval Application Checklist

March is Approval Application Month!

Links to both the Renewing and New School Approval Applications will be available March 2 on our Private School Approval webpage. Review this checklist to ensure the process is as smooth as possible.

Identify your login information: Head of School Email Address & School Building Code/s. Check the Approval Application Status Tracker on the Private School Approval page to confirm the information the SBE has on file for your school.

Update School Contact Information by February 13 only if your head of school has changed since the 2025-26 Approval Application period, and you have not already done so.

Identify dates of your school’s most recent health & fire inspections (WAC 180-90-160).

Schedule health & fire inspections according to local regulations, if necessary. Most counties require inspections every three years, and some every two years

Download & Complete Approval Application Paperwork:
- For schools with six (6) or more non-Washington state certificated staff, complete a Staffing Report. (Schools with five or fewer non-certificated staff will report information directly in the application.)
- All schools will submit a Certificate of Compliance, signed by your Head of School.

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