Data report · federal figures, school year 2023-24

Special education complaints in Washington

Name: Special Education Complaints in Washington, 2023-24
Creator: Serenido
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Parents in Washington filed 186 written special education complaints in 2023-24. 66.2% of its 145 complaint decisions were issued on time, ranking 48th of 50 (tied states share a rank).

186

written complaints

11.6 per 10,000 students, below the U.S. rate of 12.6

66.2%

decided on time

U.S.: 87%

66.2%

found a violation

96 of 145 decisions. U.S.: 62.7%

Five years in Washington

Complaints rose from 122 in 2019-20 to 186 in 2023-24 (+52%), the 27th fastest growth of 37 states with at least 20 complaints in 2019-20. That is the 21st highest complaint rate for its size, out of 51. Washington also recorded 197 due process complaints in 2023-24.

School year	Written complaints	Decided on time	Due process complaints
2019-20	122	100%	205
2020-21	115	100%	190
2021-22	137	100%	185
2022-23	178	100%	190
2023-24	186	66.2%	197

Where complaints go in Washington
Alyssa Fairbanks
PO Box 47200
Olympia, WA 98504-7200
360-725-6075
The state's dispute resolution page

Check the state page for the exact address for a written complaint before you send one.

Thinking of filing? The Special Education Complaint Router tells you whether a state complaint or another route fits, with deadlines as real dates and the complaint written for you. The IEP Deadline Clock works out when the school's legal clock runs out, including Washington's own evaluation timeline.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, IDEA Section 618 Dispute Resolution and Child Count files. Compare every state in the national report.

Cite this page

Serenido (2026). Special Education Complaints in Washington, 2023-24. Data: U.S. Department of Education, IDEA Section 618 State Part B Dispute Resolution and Child Count, 2023-24. https://serenido.com/special-education-complaints-by-state/washington/

Free to quote and republish with a link back. The full table is a CSV download.

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