How to Start a CNA School in Washington (2026 Guide)

Washington needs nursing assistants badly. Long-term care facilities from Spokane to Tacoma are running short-staffed, the state's over-65 population keeps climbing, and every facility is competing for the same certified workers. Someone has to train them. That could be you.

But Washington is not a state where you can wing it. The Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) approves your training program, and — here's the part that surprises almost everyone — a second agency has to approve you too. For a private school, that's the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (WTB), which must license you as a private vocational school before WABON will finalize your approval. Washington calls this dual agency approval, and it's not optional. On top of that, the state just raised its training requirement from 85 hours to 108 hours effective July 1, 2026, so you'll be building to the new standard from day one.

We work with CNA and allied-health schools every day — schools like Texana Training Solutions, Core Medical Services, and Premier Medical Training — helping them run enrollment, records, and compliance once the doors are open. This guide covers how to get those doors open in Washington. One note: we're operators and software people, not attorneys. Treat this as a well-researched map, not legal advice, and verify current rules with the agencies named throughout.

Quick Facts: CNA Schools in Washington

Item	Detail
Total training hours	108 minimum (35 classroom theory + 33 skills lab + 40 clinical) per WAC 246-841A-440, effective 7/1/2026
Credential earned	Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C)
Approving agency	Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) — plus a co-approving agency (WTB for private schools)
Application route	Required orientation, then email application package to WABONNursingAssistantsED@doh.wa.gov
Exam vendor	Credentia (NNAAP written/oral exam + skills evaluation)
Registry	Washington nursing assistant registry (WABON credentialing; federal OBRA registry administered with Credentia)
Typical time to approval	Roughly 4–8 months across both agencies, driven by monthly orientation and review cycles
Instructor requirement	Active WA RN (director) or RN/LPN (instructors), experience with elderly/chronically ill patients, plus an approved adult-instruction course

Step 1 — Form Your Business Entity

Start with the Washington Secretary of State's Corporations & Charities Filing System (CCFS) at sos.wa.gov. Most school founders form an LLC by filing a Certificate of Formation — $200 online through CCFS ($180 by paper, plus a $20 online processing fee), with standard processing in about two business days. An LLC keeps your personal assets separate from the school; talk to a CPA about whether S-corp taxation makes sense later.

Once the state confirms your entity, get a free EIN from the IRS at irs.gov, then open a dedicated business bank account. Keep tuition revenue and school expenses separate from day one — WTB will look at your financials, and clean books make everything easier.

Step 2 — Register for State Taxes

Washington has no personal or corporate income tax — instead it has the Business & Occupation (B&O) tax, a tax on gross receipts rather than profit. Register with the Washington Department of Revenue through the Business Licensing Service (a business license is also a prerequisite for your WTB school license, so do this early).

Here's the detail that catches school owners: tuition at private vocational schools is generally subject to the Service and Other Activities B&O classification. Washington's rules let "educational institutions" deduct tuition income, but DOR has ruled that for-profit vocational schools don't qualify for that deduction. The Service and Other Activities rate starts at 1.5 percent and now tiers with gross receipts, and recent law changes added a substantial standard deduction that can reduce or eliminate B&O for smaller businesses — the rules changed in 2025–2026, so confirm your current rate with DOR before you set tuition.

If you'll have employees, register for unemployment insurance and Paid Family & Medical Leave through the Employment Security Department, and workers' compensation through the Department of Labor & Industries (Washington is a state-fund workers' comp state — you can't buy it from a private carrier).

Step 3 — Secure Your Location, Classroom, and Skills Lab

Your program needs a classroom for the 35 theory hours and a skills lab realistic enough for the 33 lab hours. WABON reviews facilities and equipment as part of the application, and the lab needs to simulate a resident-care environment: hospital beds, a working sink for handwashing, mannequins, wheelchairs, a mechanical lift, transfer belts, blood pressure equipment, and the supplies students will use on the 30-plus skills the state exam draws from.

Budget realistically: beds, mannequins, a lift, and consumables typically run $10,000–$30,000 depending on how much you buy used. Check local zoning and fire occupancy before signing a lease — a space that works for an office doesn't automatically work for a school, and your WTB application asks about compliance with local ordinances.

Step 4 — Apply for State Program Approval

This is the heart of the process. The Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON — formerly the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission, renamed in 2023) approves nursing assistant training programs under chapter 246-841A WAC. As of July 1, 2026, WABON also took over nursing assistant credentialing, exams, and discipline from the Department of Health under Senate Bill 5051, making the Board your single point of contact on the health-regulation side.

The path for a new traditional program:

1. Attend the required orientation. WABON runs a free online "Opening a New Nursing Assistant Training Program" orientation on the second Thursday of each month, and a Common Curriculum orientation on the third Friday. Both are prerequisites — book the next sessions now, because missing one costs you a month.
2. Prepare the application package. The Nursing Assistant Training Program Application, personnel applications for your director and instructors, curriculum calendar, facility and equipment details, clinical site agreements, and program policies. WABON publishes a NA-C Training Program Application Checklist — follow it line by line.
3. Submit everything as one complete package by email to WABONNursingAssistantsED@doh.wa.gov. Incomplete packages are the number-one source of delay.
4. Get your co-approving agency's approval. Private vocational schools are co-approved by WTB; nursing homes by DSHS; community and technical colleges by SBCTC; high schools by OSPI. WABON cannot finalize approval until your co-approving agency signs off.
5. Panel review. The Nursing Assistant Program Approval Panel reviews applications at monthly meetings (second Monday, materials due a week ahead).

For a private school, the WTB side is its own licensing process under the Private Vocational School Act (chapter 28C.10 RCW): a self-assessment, a required orientation webinar, and an online application covering your catalog, enrollment agreement, refund policy, financials, and facilities, plus an initial deposit into the state's Tuition Recovery Trust Fund. WTB's annual license fee is tiered by tuition income — $250 for schools under $25,000 in annual tuition up to $2,500 for the largest — and WTB says review averages about 60 days once your application is complete. WABON initial approval runs for one year with monitoring, then moves toward full approval with renewal every two years.

Step 5 — Hire a Qualified Program Director and Instructors

Washington's personnel rules live in WAC 246-841A-430:

• Program director: an active Washington RN license in good standing, at least three years of RN experience including one year in direct patient care, plus an approved course in adult instruction (or one year of documented experience teaching adults). New directors must attend WABON's online director orientation within 30 days of approval.
• Instructors: an active Washington RN or LPN license in good standing, plus either one year of verifiable work experience caring for elderly or chronically ill patients within the last three years, or three years of that experience including a recent year in a nursing role. Same adult-instruction requirement as directors.
• Clinical supervision: an approved instructor must be on site supervising, teaching, and evaluating whenever students provide care during clinical.

The adult-instruction course is a distinctly Washington requirement — WABON points applicants to approved providers such as DSHS, EduConcepts, Health Professionals Education and Consultation, and Train the CNA Trainer. Line it up early; it's a common bottleneck when a director is otherwise qualified but hasn't taken the course.

Step 6 — Build or Buy a State-Compliant Curriculum

Effective July 1, 2026, WAC 246-841A-440 requires a minimum of 108 total hours: at least 35 hours of classroom theory, 33 hours of skills lab, and 40 hours of facility-based clinical training. That's up from the prior 85-hour minimum — any older curriculum built to 85 hours is out of date.

Washington also steers new programs toward its Common Curriculum: you attend the curriculum orientation and submit a program calendar mapping your hours to the required content — communication, infection control, safety, resident rights, basic nursing and personal care skills, dementia care, and Washington-specific content like HIV/AIDS training. One helpful flexibility: WAC 246-841A-440(8) lets programs, case by case, count hours a student works as a Nursing Assistant-Registered (NAR) under licensed nurse supervision toward clinical hours. NAR is Washington's interim credential that lets students work in care settings while still in training — a genuine selling point for students who need income during the program.

Step 7 — Set Up Clinical Site Agreements

Your 40 clinical hours must happen in a real care setting — most programs partner with skilled nursing facilities, with some using assisted living or other long-term care settings where required skills can be performed on actual residents under instructor supervision. You'll need written affiliation agreements, and WABON expects them in your application package.

Common snags we see: facilities capping cohort sizes, corporate legal review of agreements taking six to eight weeks, and facilities requiring proof of liability insurance and student immunization records first. Start these conversations while your application is in progress, not after approval — and lead with the pipeline: their floor gets first crack at hiring your graduates.

Step 8 — Understand Testing and the State Registry

Washington uses Credentia to administer the NNAAP examination — a written (or oral) knowledge test plus a skills evaluation in which the candidate performs five randomly selected skills from a list of about 34, within 30 minutes, in front of a nurse aide evaluator. Students register through Credentia's online system, and your school submits training-completion verification so graduates are eligible to test.

Passing both parts plus a background check and application (currently $85 for first-time applicants) earns the Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) credential, issued by WABON now that credentialing moved from DOH to the Board on July 1, 2026. Certified graduates appear on Washington's nursing assistant registry, which employers check before hiring; the federal OBRA registry function is administered in partnership with Credentia. Established schools can pursue becoming in-facility Credentia test sites — a real competitive advantage, since students strongly prefer testing in the lab where they trained.

Step 9 — Set Up Enrollment, Payments, and Student Records

Passing two agency reviews is a paperwork exercise; staying compliant is an operations problem. Washington expects student records, attendance tracked by hour type (theory vs. lab vs. clinical — the 35/33/40 split is a regulatory minimum, not a suggestion), skills checklists, signed enrollment agreements that match your WTB-approved catalog, and completion records that support exam eligibility.

This is where we come in. Transition gives CNA schools one system for branded online enrollment, tuition payment plans, attendance and grade tracking, document e-signature, automated onboarding emails and SMS, and student surveys — instead of stitching together spreadsheets, Jotform, Square, and a filing cabinet. The schools we work with tell us the biggest win is audit readiness: when a surveyor asks for a student's file, it's one search, not an afternoon.

Step 10 — Launch With a Local Marketing Plan

Most new CNA schools fill their first cohorts locally, not through paid ads:

• Google Business Profile first. Most students search "CNA classes near me." Claim your profile, add photos of the actual lab, and ask every graduate for a review.
• Get on the Eligible Training Provider List. WTB maintains Washington's ETPL, which makes your program eligible for WIOA funding — meaning WorkSource can pay tuition for eligible students. Connect with your local WorkSource center (run through the Employment Security Department) and your regional workforce development council.
• Partner with employers. Nursing homes and home care agencies face the same shortage you're solving. Employer-sponsored seats and hire-on agreements fill classes fast.
• A simple website with instant follow-up. One page, clear start dates, clear price, a five-minute application. Then respond fast — prospective students enroll with whoever answers first, which is exactly why we built automated email/SMS follow-up into Transition.

What It Really Costs

Realistic startup ranges for a small private CNA school in Washington. These are estimates — your market and choices will move them.

Expense	Estimated Range
LLC formation (CCFS) + business licensing	$250 – $500
Liability insurance (general + professional, annual)	$2,000 – $5,000
Lease deposit + first months' rent	$5,000 – $15,000
Skills lab equipment and supplies	$10,000 – $30,000
Curriculum, books, and materials	$2,000 – $6,000
Director/instructor payroll before revenue	$10,000 – $25,000
WTB license fee + Tuition Recovery Trust Fund deposit	$500 – $3,000
Adult-instruction course, orientations, misc. compliance	$500 – $2,000
Marketing and website	$2,000 – $6,000
Bottom line	Roughly $32,000 – $90,000

Many founders land near the lower end by starting in a modest leased space, buying used lab equipment, and teaching the first cohorts themselves (if qualified as director/instructor).

How Long It Takes

Plan on 4 to 8 months from forming your entity to enrolling your first cohort. The variance in Washington comes from three things: the monthly cadence of required orientations and the approval panel, the dual-agency sequence (WTB review averages about 60 days and WABON can't finalize without it), and clinical site agreements, which can quietly take longer than either agency review. Founders who attend the next available orientations, submit complete checklists the first time, and negotiate clinical agreements in parallel land on the shorter end.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Skipping the WTB license. The most expensive mistake in Washington. Private schools need both WABON approval and a WTB private vocational school license — WABON won't finalize without your co-approving agency, and operating unlicensed violates the Private Vocational School Act.
• Building to 85 hours. The 108-hour requirement (35/33/40) took effect July 1, 2026. Secondhand curriculum built to the old minimum will fail review.
• Missing the orientation cycle. Both required WABON orientations run monthly. Every missed session is a month of rent with no revenue.
• Hiring a director without the adult-instruction course. A great RN who hasn't completed it (or documented a year teaching adults) can't be approved yet. Book the course during the application, not after.
• Ignoring B&O tax in pricing. Washington taxes gross receipts, and private vocational schools generally don't get the educational-institution tuition deduction. Confirm current rates with DOR before setting tuition.
• Waiting on clinical agreements. Facility legal review takes weeks. Start before you're approved so your first cohort isn't stuck at hour 68 with nowhere to do clinicals.

FAQ

How much does it cost to start a CNA school in Washington? Most small private programs spend roughly $32,000–$90,000 from formation to first cohort, driven mainly by lab equipment, lease costs, and payroll before revenue. Washington-specific costs — WTB licensing, the trust fund deposit, and applications — are a small slice of the total.

Do I need to be a nurse to open a CNA school in Washington? No — the owner doesn't have to be a nurse. But your program director must be a Washington RN with at least three years of experience (one in direct patient care), and instructors must be Washington RNs or LPNs meeting the experience rules in WAC 246-841A-430. Many non-nurse founders hire an experienced RN director early.

How many hours is CNA training in Washington? As of July 1, 2026, a minimum of 108 hours: at least 35 classroom theory, 33 skills lab, and 40 clinical (WAC 246-841A-440). This replaced the prior 85-hour minimum, and the split is a floor for each category, not just a total.

Can CNA classes be online in Washington? Classroom theory can generally be delivered online or hybrid if your approved program design supports it — Washington has run pilot and rural flexibility efforts. Skills lab and the 40 clinical hours must be hands-on and in person. Confirm your delivery model with WABON during review.

What agency approves CNA schools in Washington? The Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) under chapter 246-841A WAC, plus a co-approving agency: WTB for private vocational schools, DSHS for nursing homes, SBCTC for colleges, OSPI for high schools. Both approvals are required to operate.

What exam do graduates take, and who runs it? The NNAAP exam through Credentia: a written or oral knowledge test plus a five-skill practical evaluation. Passing both, plus the state application ($85 for first-time applicants) and background check, earns the Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) credential from WABON.

How long does WABON approval take? There's no published fixed timeline, but the monthly orientation and panel cadence plus the co-approval requirement mean complete applications typically clear both agencies in a few months — plan for 4–8 months overall including WTB's roughly 60-day review.

Disclaimer

This guide is for general information only and isn't legal, tax, or regulatory advice. Washington's rules changed substantially in 2025–2026 (new hour minimums, the DOH-to-WABON transition, and B&O tax changes) and will keep evolving. Verify current requirements with the Washington State Board of Nursing, the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, the Department of Revenue, and the Secretary of State before making decisions.

The Paperwork Gets You Open. The Systems Keep You Open.

Once WABON and WTB say yes, the real work is enrollment, records, payments, and follow-up — every day, for every student. See how Transition runs enrollment, student records, messaging, and compliance for CNA schools like yours at jointransition.com.