How to start homeschooling in Colorado
The legal steps, in order, checked against Colorado law.
Short answer: To homeschool in Colorado under the home-based education law, a parent sends written notice to any Colorado school district 14 days before starting and every year after. The program must provide at least 172 days of instruction averaging four hours a day in the required subjects, and the child is tested or evaluated in grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. Parents keep permanent attendance, test, and immunization records.
Checked against Colo. Rev. Stat. 22-33-104.5 on Nov 8, 2026. This is what the law says, not legal advice.
Nonpublic home-based educational program
Parents, or an adult relative the parent designates, who will teach the child at home outside the supervision of a school district.
Steps
- Send written notice to any Colorado school district at least 14 days before you start. The notice lists each child's name, age, place of residence, and number of hours of attendance. The department advises also notifying your resident district if you send notice elsewhere.
- If your child was habitually truant at any time in the last six months of school attendance, include a written description of the curricula you will use with the notice.
- Teach at least 172 days a year, averaging four instructional contact hours a day, covering the required subjects.
- In grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11, have your child take a nationally standardized achievement test or be evaluated by a qualified person, and submit the results to the school district that received your notice or to an independent or parochial school in Colorado. If you use a school, give its name to the district.
- Keep permanent records and send a new notice every year you continue.
| Notice to the state | Yes To: Any school district in Colorado When: 14 days before the program begins, and each year after while it continues. A parent need not give notice until the child is six, need not start the program until the child is seven, and need not continue notice after the child is sixteen. |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Communication skills of reading, writing, and speaking, mathematics, history, civics, literature, science, and regular courses of instruction in the United States Constitution. |
| Time | At least 172 days of instruction a year, averaging four instructional contact hours per day. |
| Parent qualifications | The parent or an adult relative designated by the parent. No license or other qualification is required. |
| Testing or evaluation | In grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11, either a nationally standardized achievement test or an evaluation by a qualified person (a licensed teacher, a teacher at an independent or parochial school, a licensed psychologist, or a person with a graduate degree in education). If a test composite score is at or below the 13th percentile, or an evaluation shows insufficient progress, the district requires the child to attend a public, independent, or parochial school until the next testing period. A retest on an alternate or different approved test is allowed first. |
| Records to keep | Permanent records kept by the parent, including attendance data, test and evaluation results, and immunization records. The district may require them on 14 days' written notice only if the superintendent has probable cause to believe the program is not in compliance. |
The law: Colo. Rev. Stat. 22-33-104.5 CDE Frequently Asked Questions about Home Schooling
High school, transcripts and diplomas
The department says there is no state diploma, and district diplomas go only to students who attended a public high school in the district. A parent may issue a diploma, and the GED is optional. A school district must accept home-based program transcripts for credit when a child enrolls, but may reject them if district testing does not verify their accuracy. The district may test the child for grade placement and places the child with the parent's consent.
Public school sports and activities
Yes. A child in a home-based program may take part on an equal basis in extracurricular or interscholastic activities offered by a public school, and by a private school at its discretion, under the same rules of the governing association. The child may not be required to enroll in a course or earn course credit to be eligible, unless the activity is an extension of a course, such as a performing arts group. The district of attendance is the district that received the notice. A child who withdraws from a school more than 15 days after the school year starts uses that school or district for the rest of that year.
After the paperwork
Common questions
Do I have to tell the state I am homeschooling in Colorado?
Yes, under the nonpublic home-based educational program route, you notify any school district in Colorado 14 days before the program begins, and each year after while it continues. A parent need not give notice until the child is six, need not start the program until the child is seven, and need not continue notice after the child is sixteen..
Is testing required for homeschoolers in Colorado?
In grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11, either a nationally standardized achievement test or an evaluation by a qualified person (a licensed teacher, a teacher at an independent or parochial school, a licensed psychologist, or a person with a graduate degree in education). If a test composite score is at or below the 13th percentile, or an evaluation shows insufficient progress, the district requires the child to attend a public, independent, or parochial school until the next testing period. A retest on an alternate or different approved test is allowed first.
What subjects are required for homeschooling in Colorado?
Communication skills of reading, writing, and speaking, mathematics, history, civics, literature, science, and regular courses of instruction in the United States Constitution.
Sources
- Colo. Rev. Stat. 22-33-104.5
- CDE Frequently Asked Questions about Home Schooling
- Homeschool and Part-Time Programs in Colorado, Colorado Department of Education
We read each source on Nov 8, 2026 and recheck every guide each quarter. Laws change. If something here no longer matches the state, write to us and we will fix it.