Best Bachelor's in Elementary Education Programs in Washington

Pacific Lutheran University prepares elementary teachers through its on-campus Bachelor of Arts in Education, offered by the School of Education within the College of Professional Studies. The program spans 68 to 70 semester hours and begins in the fall of junior year, building toward extensive classroom time. Before a six-week student teaching placement in the final spring, when candidates run a classroom on their own, students complete 240 to 300 hours of field experience in K-12 schools. Every graduate earns the Elementary Education Endorsement plus one added P-12 specialization such as Reading, English Language Learners, or Special Education. Distinctive touches include direct admission without a separate application and a study-away semester in Namibia. Completion leads to a Washington State residency teaching certificate after required exams. A bachelor's-level path in elementary education, it builds toward a career among elementary school teachers in Washington.

Whitworth's School of Continuing Studies offers a cohort-based Bachelor of Arts in elementary education with teacher certification, built for working paraprofessionals and adults transferring in with an A.A. or applied associate degree, who enter as juniors with 60 to 64 credits. The current program page describes it as 100 percent online, completed on average in about two and a half years. Elementary certification prepares candidates to teach kindergarten through eighth grade. The sequence culminates in a clinical practicum. Graduates earn a Washington state teacher certificate meeting Professional Educator Standards Board and OSPI requirements. Graduates of this elementary education program at the bachelor's level often go on to work as elementary school teachers.

Washington State University's Elementary Education B.A. is offered on the Pullman campus through the College of Education, Sport and Human Sciences Teacher Education Program, and it leads to initial teacher certification with an elementary endorsement for grades K-8. Rather than saving fieldwork for the end, the program integrates practicum hours and student teaching throughout, so candidates are in schools across their studies. Students are encouraged to widen their reach with add-on endorsements in areas such as English Language Learners, middle level mathematics, or special education. A notable strength is the program's collaborative ties with more than 150 school districts statewide, which open placements across Washington. Transfer-friendly policies accept credit from AP, IB, and CLEP exams, associate degrees, and Running Start. It awards more bachelor's-level elementary education degrees than any of Washington's 13 ranked bachelor's-level programs, 188 in the most recent year. Graduates of this elementary education program at the bachelor's level often go on to work as elementary school teachers.

Whitworth University's Education, Bachelor of Arts with an elementary concentration is a cohort-based professional program that begins in the junior year, so candidates advance together through the heart of their training. Run by the School of Education, it puts students in K-12 classrooms starting with an introductory course, then layers on multiple field placements at Spokane-area schools and a required intercultural field experience with options in Hawaii, Spain, Australia, or closer to home. The curriculum deliberately widens candidates' range, requiring two special education courses along with coursework on culturally relevant pedagogy and English language learners. Finishing the degree means clearing several gates, including student teaching, a state content-area exam, a teacher performance assessment, and application for a Washington State Teaching Certificate. Eighteen endorsement programs can be paired with the major, letting students shape a specialty alongside the elementary focus. Among Washington's 13 ranked bachelor's-level programs, this one posts the highest graduation rate at 71%. Graduates of this elementary education program at the bachelor's level often go on to work as elementary school teachers.

Western Washington University's Elementary Education, BAE, prepares candidates for Washington K-8 certification, and it does so through a program that puts equity at its core. Offered in Woodring College of Education, the coursework is shaped by an anti-bias, anti-racist, social justice philosophy that runs through how future teachers are trained to see their classrooms. The signature feature is a yearlong internship: two quarters of final coursework paired with part-time student teaching, followed by a quarter of full-time teaching under a certificated mentor. Placements typically land in Whatcom and Skagit county schools, giving candidates sustained time in real classrooms close to campus. While the main sequence runs on campus in Bellingham, certification tracks are also offered at Everett, Seattle, and Kitsap County sites for students rooted elsewhere in the region. This bachelor's-level elementary education program prepares graduates for work as elementary school teachers in Washington.

Walla Walla University's Elementary Education Bachelor of Science, offered through the School of Education and Psychology, spans 103 credits and unfolds across a three-phase Teacher Certification Program. Students begin with pre-candidacy classroom observation in Phase 1, move into core certification coursework in Phase 2, and devote Phase 3 to 20 credits of student teaching and clinical practice. Before that final phase, candidates must pass both sections of the National Evaluation Series in Elementary Education, and every major also completes a minor or approved content area of at least 27 credits. Students can add an optional Adventist Education certification with 18 religion credits. Approved by the Washington State Professional Educator Standards Board, the program leads to K-8 licensure. This bachelor's-level elementary education program prepares graduates for work as elementary school teachers in Washington.

City University of Seattle's Bachelor of Arts in Education, carrying a K-8 Elementary Education endorsement, is a licensure track built through the School of Education and Leadership and totaling 180 quarter credits across 36 courses. Field experience is woven throughout, running 15 to 25 credits that include a September Experience, a practicum, three internships, and a 10-credit student teaching placement, so candidates spend real time in schools long before they finish. The program leans into culturally responsive and anti-racist teaching, and students can broaden their reach with optional dual endorsements in areas such as Special Education, English Language Learners, and Middle-Level Mathematics. Delivery mixes online coursework, Saturday classes, and hybrid options, and students entering with 90 credits can complete it in about two years. It leads to a Washington State Residency Teaching Certificate, though CityU has made no determination about licensure in other states. A bachelor's-level path in elementary education, it builds toward a career among elementary school teachers in Washington.

Central Washington University's Bachelor of Arts in Education in Elementary Education takes an immersive, cohort-based approach, moving students together through thematic quarters rather than a scattered checklist of courses. Offered through the Department of Education, Development, Teaching and Learning, the full-time program totals 80 course credits across seven quarters and threads elementary school field experiences through every one of them, so candidates are never far from a real classroom. A 16-credit student teaching component brings the sequence to a close. Graduates emerge prepared for Washington certification covering grades K through 8, with the option to add endorsements that widen where they can teach. The program runs at the Ellensburg main campus and in a hybrid form for transfer students at co-located community colleges, and certification eligibility requires fingerprint clearance and professional liability insurance. Graduates of this elementary education program at the bachelor's level often go on to work as elementary school teachers.

Heritage University's Bachelor of Arts in Education prepares candidates for Washington State teaching certification with an Elementary Education K-8 endorsement. Delivered by the Department of Teacher Education as the four-semester HU Innovate program, it is unusually flexible, offered in traditional face-to-face, synchronous hybrid, and asynchronous online formats with evening courses for candidates who work. Classes meet at the Toppenish and Tri-Cities campuses, and the final semester is given over entirely to student teaching, so candidates finish in a real classroom. Beyond the core endorsement, graduates add an English Language Learners and Bilingual Language Education K-12 endorsement, broadening who they are prepared to teach. Those drawn to STEM can layer on an optional emphasis. The design fits working adults building toward K-8 licensure. Earning a bachelor's degree in elementary education is a common route toward becoming one of Washington's elementary school teachers.

Clark College's Bachelor of Applied Science in Teaching Preschool through 3rd Grade is a career-oriented completion degree offered through the Public Service, Society, and Education department. Building on an associate degree in early childhood education, the two-year program combines technical, academic, and teaching-method courses focused on the preschool through third grade years. Students may add a Bilingual Teaching endorsement. Admission is limited entry and open to students who hold an early childhood education associate degree or higher. It carries the lowest in-state tuition among Washington's 13 ranked bachelor's-level programs, at $4,907. This bachelor's-level elementary education program prepares graduates for work as elementary school teachers in Washington.

Northwest University's Bachelor of Arts in Educational Studies takes an intentionally flexible approach, letting students shape the degree around an Elementary Education concentration for grades K-8 or alternatives such as Community Programming, International Education, and Secondary Education. Offered online through the Center for Online and Extended Education and the School of Education, it gives students field experience in settings matched to their goals so the learning feels connected to a real career direction. This is, by design, a non-licensure degree rather than a direct route to certification. Students who ultimately want Washington State teaching credentials are pointed toward the university's BA to Master in Teaching pathway, which the school describes as its only program leading to Washington State Teacher Certification. Up to 10 credits can carry forward into that master's, making this bachelor's a deliberate first stage of a longer plan. Graduates of this elementary education program at the bachelor's level often go on to work as elementary school teachers.

Built for students who want to teach across the elementary years, Saint Martin's University's Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education leads to a Washington residency teaching certificate with a K-8 endorsement. What sets the rhythm of the program is its steady progression of fieldwork, moving through three practicums before candidates step into a full internship semester devoted entirely to teaching, with a supporting seminar and no competing coursework to pull their attention away. That design keeps the emphasis squarely on classroom practice rather than theory alone. Approved by the Washington State Board of Education and recognized as an Education College of Distinction for 2025-26, the program reports that 97 percent of graduates find teaching jobs. All of it unfolds in person at the Lacey campus. As a bachelor's degree in elementary education, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as elementary school teachers in Washington.

Eastern Washington University's Bachelor of Arts in Education in Elementary Education prepares candidates to teach kindergarten through grade 8. Offered on campus through the School of Education, the program combines coursework with several field experiences and a full quarter of full-time student teaching. Completion meets the State of Washington endorsement for elementary teaching, and students may add a minor to earn a second endorsement area. Candidates can begin in fall, winter, spring, or summer. This bachelor's-level elementary education program prepares graduates for work as elementary school teachers in Washington.