COLORADO
Homeschooling in Colorado: Requirements, Paperwork, and How to Start
Notice fourteen days before you start, 172 days of instruction, seven subjects, and an evaluation at five points along the way. Here is exactly what Colorado asks of you.
Homeschooling in Colorado, Summarized
The Seven Things Colorado Asks of You
Legal in Colorado
Yes
three routes
Compulsory ages
6 to under 17
Your two options
Home-based program, umbrella school or licensed tutor
Do I notify anyone?
Yes — once each school year
14 days before you start
Paperwork load
Medium
records kept permanently
Parent qualification
None required
a relative may teach
Standardized testing
At grades 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11
test or evaluation — you choose
Legal requirements last reviewed: June 2026 · Plain English · Not legal advice
Homeschooling is legal in Colorado
What You Need to Know
Most families use the non-public home-based program under C.R.S. 22-33-104.5: a written notice fourteen days before you begin, 172 days averaging four hours, seven subject areas plus the U.S. Constitution, and an evaluation at grades 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. Two alternatives exist — an umbrella school, or a licensed tutor.
What Colorado Asks of You
Three routes — the first is what most families use.
Must do
File a written Notice of Intent with any Colorado school district, and renew it each year
Teach 172 days a year, averaging four hours a day
Cover the seven required subjects and the U.S. Constitution
Keep attendance records, evaluation results and immunization records permanently
Evaluate at grades 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 — a standardised test, or a qualified evaluator
Dates that matter
At least 14 calendar days before the program begins, and annually after that
Within 14 days if a district serves a probable-cause notice and asks to see your records
Good practice — not required
Choose the district you file with — the statute lets you use any of them
Log days and hours as you go: 172 days is hard to reconstruct in June
On the test route, a score at or below the 13th percentile earns a retest, and failing that retest forces enrollment in a school. The evaluator route carries no such floor.
Must do
Enroll your child in a Colorado independent or parochial umbrella school
Follow whatever that school asks of you
Dates that matter
Per the umbrella school's own calendar
Good practice — not required
Compare schools: this route is about who carries the requirements, so terms matter
The trade-off
You take on the school's standards in place of the statute's
No notice to a district and no state-mandated testing on this route — the school stands between you and the state.
Other routes
Colorado wants 172 days logged and records kept permanently. StudyPug builds both while your child works.
Funding for Colorado Home Education
The short answer, before the detail.
Colorado provides no direct funding to homeschooling families.
No state education savings account, voucher or reimbursement exists — families cover materials themselves. Federal Coverdell accounts are available to anyone in the country and are not a Colorado program.
To your family
$0 — no state funding
To apply for
Nothing — there is no state program
Federal option
Coverdell accounts, not state-run
What StudyPug Handles for You
Not templates you fill in — records that fill themselves in.
Work-samples portfolio that assembles itself
Hours & attendance log that fills itself in
Progress reports you can download and share
Scope & Sequence export across the seven required subjects
One-click records package if a district ever serves notice
Every child in one account — up to 5
Questions About Homeschooling in Colorado
Quick answers for homeschooling families.
Is homeschooling legal in Colorado?
Yes, by three separate routes. Most families use the non-public home-based educational program under C.R.S. 22-33-104.5. The alternatives are enrolling in an independent or parochial umbrella school, or having a licensed Colorado teacher provide the instruction.
Do parents need a teaching certificate?
Not on the main route. The instructor must be the parent, a legal guardian or a designated adult relative, but no teaching license is required and there is no statutory background check. The third route is the exception: it exists precisely because a licensed teacher satisfies the exemption on their own.
Does Colorado fund homeschooling?
No. There is no state education savings account, voucher or reimbursement for homeschooling families in Colorado, so materials and resources are paid for out of pocket. Federal Coverdell accounts exist but are open to families in every state and are not a Colorado program.
What does the grade 3-11 evaluation involve?
You choose between two options. Either a nationally standardised achievement test, at your own expense, or an evaluation by a qualified person. It happens during the school year of each of those grades, so five times across a school career rather than annually.
Which subjects do I have to teach?
Seven areas: communication skills covering reading, writing and speaking, plus mathematics, history, civics, literature and science. The U.S. Constitution is required on top of those. Instruction must run 172 days a year, averaging four hours a day.
What records should I keep, and for how long?
Three things, kept permanently: attendance records, the results of your tests or evaluations, and immunization records or a signed exemption. If a district has probable cause to question the program, you have 14 days from its notice to produce them.
Can I file my notice with any district?
Yes. The statute lets you file with any Colorado school district rather than only your local one, which is unusual and worth knowing. The notice goes in at least 14 calendar days before you begin, and is renewed each school year.
Official Sources
Confirm the rules and apply directly with your state.
Colorado Homeschooling
→The Department's overview — notice, subjects, days and evaluations.
ed.cde.state.co.us — Homeschool
Colorado Homeschool Law
→C.R.S. 22-33-104.5 and the rules that follow from it.
ed.cde.state.co.us — Homeschool Law
Home Schooling FAQ
→The department's answers on notice, testing and records.
ed.cde.state.co.us — Homeschool FAQ
Other States:
Homeschooling in Connecticut·Homeschooling in Delaware·Homeschooling in District of Columbia— each reviewed against its own official sources
See How Families Run Their Homeschool on StudyPug
Lessons, practice, and the records above — one family plan.
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StudyPug is a records tool, not legal advice. Homeschool rules, funding amounts, and deadlines change at least yearly — always confirm with the official sources above before you act. Requirements can also differ at the school-board or district level, so check with your local board or district too. We review every jurisdiction page and show you the date we last checked it; each requirement in your dashboard carries its own source and last-verified date.
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