Homeschool by State
Homeschooling in Colorado
What to know in Colorado
Applies to parents providing home-based education to children between ages six or seven and sixteen.
Compulsory attendance ages
This is part of your state's rules.
Read the explanation
Homeschool provisions require notification beginning at age six, allow the establishment of the program to wait until age seven, and do not require continuation or notification after age sixteen.
Notice of intent (NOI)
This is part of your state's rules.
Read the explanation
Parents must notify any Colorado public school district 14 days before establishing the program and annually thereafter. The notice must include the child's name, age, residence, and attendance hours.
Resident district notification
This is a suggestion, not a legal requirement.
When this applies: When filing the notice of intent with a non-resident district
Read the explanation
If filing the notice with a district other than the resident district, CDE advises notifying the resident district as well to avoid a truancy misunderstanding.
Instructor qualifications
This is part of your state's rules.
Read the explanation
Instruction must be provided by the parent, guardian, or a parent-designated adult relative. No teaching license is required for that role.
Instructional time and days
This is part of your state's rules.
Read the explanation
Guidance specifies at least 172 instructional days per year, averaging four instructional contact hours daily.
Required subjects
This is part of your state's rules.
Read the explanation
Instruction must cover reading, writing, speaking, mathematics, history, civics, literature, and science.
U.S. Constitution instruction
We haven't confirmed this yet.
When this applies: After grade seven
Read the explanation
District guidance describes U.S. Constitution instruction after grade seven, but the text notes this grade-specific treatment must be confirmed against the referenced statute.
Habitual truant curriculum submission
This applies only in certain situations.
When this applies: If the learner was habitually truant during the prior six months
Read the explanation
District 11 requires additional curriculum submissions for learners who were habitually truant during the prior six months, which must be resolved before withdrawal.
Nationally standardized testing or evaluation
This is part of your state's rules.
When this applies: In grades three, five, seven, nine, and eleven
Read the explanation
Students must be assessed using a nationally standardized achievement test or evaluated by a qualified evaluator at parent expense. Qualified evaluators include Colorado licensed teachers, independent/parochial school teachers, licensed psychologists, or individuals with a graduate education degree.
Assessment score reporting and minimum progress
This is part of your state's rules.
Read the explanation
Results must be submitted to the notified district or a Colorado independent/parochial school (reporting its name to the district). A composite score above the 13th percentile is required for continued exemption, with a retest opportunity provided if at or below that threshold.
Recordkeeping and production
This is part of your state's rules.
Read the explanation
Parents must maintain permanent attendance, assessment/evaluation, and immunization records. A notified district may seek these records on 14 days' written notice only when the superintendent has probable cause of noncompliance.