CNA Classes Near Des Moines, WA: Programs, Costs, and Commute to Federal Way

Des Moines, WA is the closest city in this series to Federal Way: the two share a border along the Redondo and Woodmont area, the drive from the Des Moines marina district to the school is roughly 7 to 8 miles (approximate), and King County Metro's RapidRide A Line runs down Pacific Highway South from the city's eastern edge to Federal Way Downtown Station without a transfer. That makes the 4-week, 108-clock-hour Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) course at Huduma CNA Programs, $1,100 tuition plus about $105 in books and supplies, a 15-to-30-minute trip for most of the city. Des Moines also hosts Highline College, the local community college, so residents have a real quarter-based alternative to weigh. Every program must deliver 108 hours (35 theory, 33 skills lab, 40 clinical), and every graduate pays the same $155 for the two-part exam, so the choice comes down to calendar, price, testing, and travel.

Des Moines in three parts

The city runs from the Puget Sound waterfront at the marina up to Pacific Highway South (SR 99) on the east, with Kent-Des Moines Road (SR 516) crossing the middle. Highline College sits on the east side near SR 99 and SR 516, and the 1 Line's Kent Des Moines Station, which opened December 6, 2025, is next to it, just east of Pacific Highway. That station is the transit anchor for the whole area even though it carries Kent's name.

Times are approximate and based on King County Metro and Sound Transit published information as of September 2026. Huduma CNA Programs is within walking distance of both Federal Way Downtown Station and the Federal Way Transit Center.

The Highline College question

Highline College is in Des Moines, and a resident on a nursing pathway should price out its nursing assistant offering before anything else. A community college course runs on the academic quarter, is taught by licensed nurses like every approved program, and can count toward a later nursing application. The tradeoffs are timing (quarter start dates, prerequisite steps, registration windows) and total cost (per-credit tuition plus fees, which change by year). A private 4-week course starts more often and posts a single price. Someone who needs to be earning as an NA-C in six weeks usually picks the private course; someone planning an LPN or RN application in two years often picks the college. The comparison is worked through in community college vs private CNA school in Washington.

Program types available to Des Moines residents

Des Moines is unusual for its size in having two large continuing-care campuses: Wesley Des Moines, which includes a health center providing skilled nursing and rehabilitation alongside assisted living, and Judson Park, a HumanGood community with skilled nursing and assisted living. Campuses like these sometimes train their own nursing assistants as NARs; if one offers to sponsor you, read the employment commitment and confirm the program is on the WABON approved list.

Total cost from Des Moines

• Tuition: $1,100 for the traditional course at Huduma CNA Programs, $800 for the HCA bridge; other programs set their own.
• Books and supplies: about $105.
• Part 1 skills test: $100 to the test site; administered on site at Huduma.
• Part 2 knowledge test: $55 to Credentia, after the skills pass is recorded.
• DOH application: per the current DOH fee schedule.
• Transit: ORCA fare on the A Line, route 165, or the 1 Line for 20 class days (traditional) or 5 (bridge).

The exam and DOH costs are identical at every school. Des Moines residents receiving Basic Food or registered with WorkSource may have tuition covered; the process is in WorkSource, WIOA, and Basic Food Employment and Training.

Where Des Moines graduates work

The city has no hospital, but two are close: St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way (Virginia Mason Franciscan Health) to the south and Highline Medical Center in Burien to the north. Inside Des Moines, the Wesley and Judson Park campuses, other assisted living communities, and licensed adult family homes hire NA-Cs, and the 1 Line from Kent Des Moines Station reaches Seattle hospitals such as UW Medicine, Harborview, and Swedish. Indeed job-posting data (August 2026) shows a Washington average of about $23.62 per hour for nursing assistants and about $23.80 in Seattle; Des Moines is not reported separately. Employer detail is in CNA jobs in Des Moines, WA.

Decision rules for Des Moines

1. Planning a nursing degree? Price Highline College first; the quarter calendar may be worth the wait.
2. Need the credential in a month? The 4-week private course.
3. Hold an active Washington HCA credential? The 40-hour bridge for $800, 5 trips instead of 20.
4. Work weekdays? The weekend cohort; the A Line and 1 Line run seven days.
5. Live in the marina district without a car? Budget the route 165 connection; the 1 Line does the rest.

How the Federal Way course runs

The CNA Traditional program covers 108 clock hours in 4 weeks, day or weekend pattern, with licensed-nurse instructors, a background check before clinical placement, a Certificate of Completion, and the $100 skills test administered on site. Applicants need a high school diploma or GED; instruction is in English. Active Washington HCAs instead take the HCA to CNA bridge, 40 clock hours in a single weekday week or about 2.5 weekends. Start dates are on the schedules page.

Frequently asked questions

How far is Federal Way from Des Moines for CNA class? Roughly 7 to 8 miles from the marina district, less from Redondo. About 10 minutes on the 1 Line from Kent Des Moines Station, 10 to 20 minutes on the A Line, or 10 to 20 minutes by car.

Is Kent Des Moines Station actually in Des Moines? It is in western Kent, next to Highline College, just east of Pacific Highway near Kent-Des Moines Road. For most Des Moines residents it is the nearest light rail stop.

Does Highline College offer CNA training? Highline College is Des Moines' community college; check its current catalog for its nursing assistant course and quarter dates before comparing.

Can I take the weekend cohort by transit? Yes. The A Line and the 1 Line run on weekends; route 165 from the marina district runs less often on weekends, so check its timetable.

What does the school require to enroll? A high school diploma or GED, photo ID, and a background check before clinicals. The full list is in documents you need to enroll in a Washington CNA program.

For the steps after graduation, read how to become a CNA in Washington State.