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Excellence in Education
Schools in Spokane County have been recognized as leaders in the state and across the nation in K-12 education.
Fourteen public school districts combine to serve the educational needs of over 73,100 students in grades kindergarten through 12. In addition, private elementary and secondary state-approved schools offer comparable instructional programs.
A wide range of state-approved specialized educational programs are available from privately-owned vocational, technical and business schools, and in corporate training programs in the Spokane area. Formal apprenticeship programs are available in hundreds of occupational fields – enough to satisfy the career development needs of the labor force and the training desires of local companies.
Spokane is the education and training center of the Inland Northwest, a region served by a variety of public and private higher educational institutions. The Spokane Area Private Industry Council (PIC), established pursuant to the Job Training Partnership Act of 1982 (JTPA), administers employment and training programs for local economically disadvantaged youths and adults through the Spokane City-County Employment and Training Consortium.
Spokane County Schools
| Catholic Diocesan |
(509) 358-7300 |
| Central Valley #356 |
(509) 228-5400 |
| Cheney #360 |
(509) 235-6205 |
| Deer Park #414 |
(509) 464-5500 |
| East Valley #361 |
(509) 924-1830 |
| ESD #101 |
(509) 456-6320 |
| Freeman #358 |
(509) 291-3695 |
| Gonzaga Preparatory |
(509) 483-8511 |
| Great Northern #312 |
(509) 747-7714 |
| Liberty #362 |
(509) 624-4415 |
| Mead #354 |
(509) 465-6000 |
| Medical Lake #326 |
(509) 565-3100 |
| Nine Mile Falls #325 |
(509) 466-5512 |
| Orchard Prairie #123 |
(509) 467-9517 |
| Riverside #416 |
(509) 464-8201 |
| Saint George’s |
(509) 466-1636 |
| Spokane #81 |
(509) 354-5900 |
| Valley Christian |
(509) 924-9131 |
| West Valley #363 |
(509) 924-2150 |
Public Schools
Excellent elementary and secondary schools offer regular education and alternative programs including specialized course offerings in gifted and talented education, advanced placement, business and vocational training, and remedial and special education classes are provided to the community. School districts jointly operate the Spokane Area Vocational Skills Center to provide advanced vocational and technical training for high school students. School districts also cooperate to provide joint programs to serve the needs of students in both educational and support service areas.
Community support for the public education system in Spokane County is strong. Voters provide positive support for most operational tax levies and capital improvement bond issues. School districts use citizen involvement through the active use of advisory committees and volunteer organizations. Participation by the business community occurs through various programs, including the Partners Program and the Youth Employment Training Program.
Private Schools
Excellent state-approved private schools are available for kindergarten through high school students, with both secular and non-secular backgrounds. Spokane has 33 state-approved private schools, and over 1,500 students are home-schooled. These schools add another dimension to the educational excellence of the Spokane area.
There are also a number of educational organizations for special academic and therapeutic interests, including the Lilac Blind Foundation, Montessori programs, and the Spokane Guild’s School and Neuromuscular Center. There are three special instructional centers and five regional guidance centers.
Higher Education
University District
Spokane’s growing University District – a combination of universities, research and commercialization organizations, the medical district, mature residential neighborhoods, and the Spokane River is attracting a critical mass of top students, staff and faculty, cutting-edge researchers, and creative entrepreneurs – all of which are the catalysts for growth in the technology and health care industry, and overall economic prosperity for the city and the region. www.spokaneuniversitydistrict.com
Business Training and Applied Technology Center
The Business Training and Applied Technology Center is the Community Colleges of Spokane (CCS) building that houses the Training and Education Coordinating Center (TECC) and several other programs linking the training needs of businesses within a six-county service district with the considerable training resources of CCS. TECC coordinates programming, scheduling and marketing for all CCS programs offered to business and industry, and also serves as the site for many CCS training programs for business, government and non-profits. Many programs are provided on-site at business facilities. www.ccs.spokane.edu
Eastern Washington University
Built upon 125 years of tradition, Eastern Washington University offers more than 100 fields of study, ten master’s degrees, four graduate certificates, 55 graduate programs, and one applied doctorate at two locations – the Cheney campus (just 16 miles from Spokane), and the Riverpoint Campus in the downtown Spokane U-District.
EWU gives students the opportunity to study one-of-a-kind, in-demand disciplines such as biotechnology, cybersecurity, forensic science, entrepreneurship, children’s studies, dental hygiene and urban planning. In addition, Eastern is the only regional university in the state to offer a doctorate in physical therapy, and the only regional comprehensive university to offer a bachelor’s in electrical engineering.
A focus on personal attention, faculty excellence and community collaboration allows Eastern to accomplish its mission of preparing well-rounded students ready to hit the ground running in their chosen career fields. Eastern will give you the chance to start something big! www.ewu.edu
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has served the public and private aviation sectors through education for over 70 years, and is the only accredited not-for-profit university in the world totally oriented to aviation. In 1990, the Fairchild Air Force Base Resident Center began offering classes to civilians, active-duty military and their dependents.
Embry-Riddle has two main campus locations – one in Daytona Beach, Florida and one in Prescott, Arizona. The Division of Continuing Education offers Embry-Riddle degree programs at more than 100 locations throughout the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Europe. The associate and bachelor of science degree in professional aeronautics, and a bachelor of science degree in the management of technical operations are offered. At the graduate level, a master of aeronautical science degree is offered. www.erau.edu/ec/center/86
Gonzaga University and Law School
Founded by the Jesuit order in 1887, Gonzaga University has grown and matured into one of the West’s premier regional universities. Gonzaga embodies the intellectual powers of five schools offering seven  undergraduate degrees in 43 majors. The university also offers degrees in 26 master’s programs, one Ph.D. program, and a Juris Doctor through the School of Law. The academic heart and strength of Gonzaga’s liberal arts tradition lies in its core curriculum that integrates philosophy, theology, history, mathematics, literature, the natural and social sciences, and extensive writing in students’ major disciplines. www.gonzaga.edu
Institute for Extended Learning
The Institute for Extended Learning is part of the Community Colleges of Spokane. It is focused on extending, to people in northeastern Washington, access to a wide variety of educational possibilities. While not a “virtual institution,” it does provide a number of avenues for people to receive the education they are seeking. Its goal is to use technology and innovation to expand opportunities for those who want to learn.
The institute provides courses via the Internet, correspondence, video over cable, videotape, interactive video, audio conferencing and through a mobile training facility. It also provides educational programs at more than 100 locations in a six-county region. Curriculum varies from traditional academic, professional/technical and vocational, to customized training and specialized workshops. The institute currently functions as a coordinator, facilitator and educator in assisting children, adults, families and businesses in achieving educational goals. www.iel.spokane.edu
Interface College
Interface College is a private, accredited college that has served the Spokane area since 1982, specializing in short-term training programs in career fields with growth potential. The college offers accelerated 8-12 month training programs in technical, business and health care careers, and also offers five associate degree programs (transfer credits are accepted).
Course schedules are very flexible with day, evening and online classes available. The college is conveniently located near downtown Spokane. www.interface.edu
ITT Technical Institute
The Spokane ITT Technical Institute is operated by Indianapolis-based ITT Education Services, Inc. ITT/ESI, a subsidiary of ITT Corporation, provides education to approximately 25,000 students through the operation of 70 colleges in 27 states. ITT came to Spokane in 1985 and focuses on preparing graduates for careers in technology. ITT is accredited by a Department of Education approved agency and is a degree-granting institution. ITT specializes in electronic engineering technology and computer-aided drafting technology. www.itt-tech.edu
Park University
Founded in 1875, Park University is a comprehensive, fully-accredited, independent institution offering associate and bachelor of science degrees through accelerated and online courses from its school for Extended Learning. Park’s Campus Center at Fairchild Air Force Base is part of the school, the national outreach arm of the university’s flagship campus in Parkville, MO, located just ten minutes from Kansas City.
Park’s Fairchild AFB Campus Center offers five associate degrees and nine bachelor degrees to military and civilian students. Courses are offered as traditional, evening classes, and also online. Park University has been serving Fairchild AFB and the surrounding Spokane community for more than 19 years, and works closely with local community colleges to provide quality education opportunities.
Spokane Community College (SCC)
SCC offers degrees and certificates in more than 90 professional/technical fields, as well as a full range of transferable liberal arts programs. Professional/technical areas of study include agriculture, horticulture, natural resources, business and office technology, health sciences, and a wide variety of technical, industrial and service occupations ranging from aircraft mechanics to electrical maintenance, culinary arts, welding and more. www.scc.spokane.edu
Spokane Falls Community College (SFCC)
 SFCC emphasizes liberal arts instruction and is among the top three community colleges in the state in the number of students who transfer to four-year universities. Liberal arts students choose from more than 40 pre-major programs ranging from accounting to education to veterinary medicine. SFCC also offers more than 20 professional/technical degrees. Areas of study include business and office technology, camera repair, fine and applied arts, interior design, music, orthotic-prosthetic technology, photography, saddlemaking, health/fitness technology, and human services. www.spokanefalls.edu
Washington State University (WSU) Spokane and Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education
WSU Spokane is the urban campus of Washington State University, a land-grant research university founded in 1890. The Riverpoint Campus, bordered by the Spokane River and Centennial Trail, lies at the heart of a developing University District on the east end of downtown. Part-time working adults, as well as traditional undergraduate, graduate and professional students benefit from the campus’s new classrooms, labs, studios and clinical space.
WSU Spokane is home to WSU’s system-wide Division of Health Sciences. As a growing academic health center, WSU Spokane offers professional and graduate studies and research in nursing, pharmacy, medicine, health policy and administration, exercise physiology and metabolism, and other health professions and sciences that benefit from Spokane’s stature as a regional medical center.
Campus programs also include the design disciplines, educational leadership programs, social and policy sciences, and science and technology. Washington State University is one of just 95 public and private research universities with very high research activity, according to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifications. In addition, U.S. News & World Report ranks WSU as one of the top public research universities in the nation. www.spokane.wsu.edu
Webster University
Webster University is an independent, accredited, coeducational university offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in many fields. Its graduate programs provide career-minded adults with knowledge and skills to enhance their professional development or embark on a new career. The extended campus located at Fairchild Air Force Base offers the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Arts (MA) in Human Resources Development; MA in Management and Leadership; MA in Business and Organizational Security Management; and MA in Counseling. There are many other options online. Courses are available to civilians, active duty military and their dependents, both on-site and Internet-based. www.webster.edu/wa
Whitworth University
Founded in 1890, Whitworth University is a private, residential liberal arts institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). With a 200-acre wooded campus located 14 minutes north of downtown Spokane, Whitworth enrolls about 2,650 undergraduate and graduate students of different faiths and backgrounds. Working with those students is a faculty of Christian scholars dedicated to teaching and actively engaged in writing and research within their disciplines.
Whitworth University is widely known for its excellent academics. The university offers 48 undergraduate degree programs, a distinctive core curriculum, and one of the top study-abroad programs in the western United States. Master’s degree programs are available in business administration, counseling, education, international management, school administration, teaching, and theology. Its Continuing Studies program offers evening programs convenient for working adults as well. www.whitworth.edu
Technology Business Support
Sirti
Sirti is a Washington State economic development agency that focuses on accelerating the development and growth of innovative technology-based companies in the Inland Northwest. Entrepreneurial based start-ups and high growth companies can access business coaching and support, tap into the Sirti Technology Growth Fund and SBIR grant expertise, or even locate their companies in the Sirti incubation facilities.
Located on the perimeter of downtown Spokane in the University District, Sirti has two state-of-the-art, mixed-use facilities with 42,000 square feet of useable incubation space. Wet labs, light manufacturing space, full-service business offices, reception service, boardrooms, training facilities, conference rooms, and a sophisticated IT network are available.
Sirti’s experienced staff and veteran entrepreneurs provide expertise in technology assessment, market research, strategic planning, marketing, sales, finance and management to campus incubation clients, as well as off-campus clients located throughout Eastern Washington.
Sirti’s clients and alumni have secured in excess of $200 million in add-on investments and are viewed as some of the most dynamic technology and bio-technology companies in the Inland Northwest. www.sirti.org
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