Quality of education in the Spokane region is outstanding. Our universities and colleges have earned national recognition with awards and achievements.

For the sixth straight year, Writing Programs at Washington State University have earned national recognition by placing among the top in U.S. News & World Report rankings. They were published in its “America’s Best Colleges 2007” report.  Only 11 public universities appear on this year’s list, and only 8 – including WSU – have made the list every year since its inception. Some of WSU’s peers in the new 2007 list are Harvard, Princeton, Clemson, Duke, George Mason, Indiana, Purdue, and Missouri universities.

In addition, Imagine Tomorrow, the Washington State University annual high school problem-solving competition, has been selected as the recipient of the 2009 Environmental Education Association of Washington (EEAW) Community Catalyst Award. The award give recognition to different programs from schools, agencies or organizations that have a mission to provide community-based environmental education.

According to U.S. News & World Report’s annual college rankings, Gonzaga University has moved up one spot to No. 3 best university in the West and is ranked as the No. 7 best overall value in the region for the “Universities-Master’s” West category.  Whitworth University was ranked No. 5 and Eastern Washington University No. 51 in the same category.

The Gonzaga University School of Law also brings in its fair share of accolades.  The school has been named one of the ten most innovative law schools in the nation by preLaw Magazine.  The school is also ranked among the top 100 law schools in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.  The Gonzaga University School of Engineering and Applied Science also rose to No. 20 best undergraduate engineering program in the nation among engineering schools without a doctoral program.  Gonzaga also ranked No. 1 among all of the top 61 schools in its classification for its alumni giving rate.

The 2009 edition of Princeton Review's "Best 368 Colleges" includes Gonzaga University and Washington State University in its rankings. The 2007 edition of Princeton Review’s “Bests 361 Colleges” also included Gonzaga University.  The New York-based education services company annually names the nation’s 361 best colleges for undergraduate education.  While they are not ranked in order of excellence, Gonzaga ranked No. 9 in the category “Students Pack the Stadiums,” and is among the 122 schools named a “Best Western College” by the Princeton Review.

Central Valley School District, Mead School District, and Spokane Public Schools District all received blue ribbon awards and ranked in the top 33% of 2,800 districts nationwide in Expansion Management’s 2005 Education Quotient.  The rankings are meant to compare and communicate the quality of education and workforce to business leaders and companies looking to expand or relocate their operations.