Colorado homeschool requirements

To homeschool in Colorado, file a written notice with a Colorado school district at least 14 days before a home-based program starts, and each year after. Provide 172 days averaging 4 hours, and test or evaluate in grades 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 — a composite score at or below the 13th percentile can end the exemption. Two other exemptions carry none of this: full enrollment in an independent or parochial school for at least 172 days, and instruction at home by a Colorado-licensed teacher (C.R.S. § 22-33-104(2)).

Last reviewed June 5, 2026 · corrected September 23, 2026 · Sources below

Minimal regulation Notice required Instruction time set Testing or evaluation by pathway

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Colorado homeschool requirements at a glance

Notice: RequiredWhere it goes: A Colorado school district (any district, not necessarily your own). When: At least 14 days before beginning home-based education; annually thereafter.
Required subjects: Reading, Writing, Speaking, Mathematics, History, Civics/Government, Literature, Science, U.S. Constitution
Instruction time: 172 days · 4 hrs/day172 days averaging 4 instructional contact hours per day.
Testing or evaluation: Yes — grades 3, 5, 7, 9, 11the home-based program under C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5 — a child fully enrolled in an independent or parochial school, or taught at home by a Colorado-licensed teacher, is exempt under § 22-33-104(2) and the statute sets no testing for either. Testing or evaluation in grades 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11, using a nationally normed achievement test or a qualified evaluator the parent chooses — not the Colorado state assessment. Results go to the district that received the notice, or to an independent or parochial school; if they go to a school, that school's name must still be given to the district, and the family is still in the home-based program, with the notice and the 172 days still owed (C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5(3)(f)). There is no passing grade to report, but a composite score at or below the 13th percentile — or an evaluation showing the child is not making sufficient academic progress — requires the district to have the child placed in a public, independent or parochial school until the next testing period, after the child has been offered a retest on an alternate version or a different approved test (C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5(5)).
Records: Yes — attendance, assessment results, immunizations
Parent qualifications: Not required
Compulsory attendance ages: 6–17Colorado's attendance law reaches a child who turned six on or before August 1 of that year and who is under seventeen, so the duty ends on the child's seventeenth birthday (C.R.S. § 22-33-104(1)(a)). A home-based program runs on its own ages: no notice is required until the child is six, the program itself need not be established until the child is seven, and after the child turns sixteen neither the program nor the notice is required (C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5(3)(e)). One case is not settled by that. A child who was habitually truant at any time in the last six months they attended school may not be enrolled in a home-based program unless the parents first send a written description of the curricula along with the notice (C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5(3)(b)), and the statute does not say whether that condition falls away at sixteen — a family in that position should send both.
Ways to homeschool: Three pathways
Law: C.R.S. §§ 22-33-104, 22-33-104.5
Official source: ed.cde.state.co.us ↗

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Colorado?

Yes. Colorado requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: A Colorado school district (any district, not necessarily your own). How: Written notice including the child's name, age, residence, and hours of attendance. When: At least 14 days before beginning home-based education; annually thereafter. Re-file each school year the program continues. The notice is not required until the child is six, and is not required after the child turns sixteen (C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5(3)(e)). If the child was habitually truant at any time during the last six months they attended school, the parents must send a written description of the curricula the program will use along with the notice, or the child may not be enrolled in the program (C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5(3)(b)). This notice belongs to the home-based program: a child fully enrolled in an independent or parochial school, or taught at home by a Colorado-licensed teacher, is exempt under C.R.S. § 22-33-104(2), and that statute sets no notice for either. Sending your test or evaluation results to an independent or parochial school is a different arrangement: that is still a home-based program, and the notice — plus the school's name — still goes to the district (C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5(3)(f)).

What subjects does Colorado require homeschoolers to teach?

Colorado requires instruction in Reading, Writing, Speaking, Mathematics, History, Civics/Government, Literature, Science, and U.S. Constitution. Per C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5(3)(d). No mandated curriculum — the parent selects materials.

How many days or hours of instruction does Colorado require?

Colorado's rule: 172 days averaging 4 instructional contact hours per day.

Is standardized testing required to homeschool in Colorado?

Yes. Colorado requires a test or another accepted form of evaluation. How often: Biennial (in the specified grades only). Who this applies to: the home-based program under C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5 — a child fully enrolled in an independent or parochial school, or taught at home by a Colorado-licensed teacher, is exempt under § 22-33-104(2) and the statute sets no testing for either. Accepted options: nationally standardized achievement test and evaluation by a qualified person you choose — a Colorado-licensed teacher, a teacher employed by an independent or parochial school, a licensed psychologist, or someone with a graduate degree in education (C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5(2)(c)). Testing or evaluation in grades 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11, using a nationally normed achievement test or a qualified evaluator the parent chooses — not the Colorado state assessment. Results go to the district that received the notice, or to an independent or parochial school; if they go to a school, that school's name must still be given to the district, and the family is still in the home-based program, with the notice and the 172 days still owed (C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5(3)(f)). There is no passing grade to report, but a composite score at or below the 13th percentile — or an evaluation showing the child is not making sufficient academic progress — requires the district to have the child placed in a public, independent or parochial school until the next testing period, after the child has been offered a retest on an alternate version or a different approved test (C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5(5)).

What records do I need to keep to homeschool in Colorado?

Colorado requires these records: attendance data, test or evaluation results, and immunization records. How long, or where they go: Permanently — the parent in charge of the program keeps the records on a permanent basis (C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5(3)(g)). The district that received your notice may require them on 14 days' written notice, and only if the superintendent has probable cause to believe the program is not meeting the guidelines in § 22-33-104.5(3). Nothing is routinely submitted except the test or evaluation results.

Do parents need a teaching certificate or other qualification to homeschool in Colorado?

No. Colorado does not set a general qualification for homeschooling parents. No license required. A parent, guardian, or designated adult relative may supervise.

What ages does Colorado's compulsory attendance law cover?

Colorado's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 6 to age 17. Colorado's attendance law reaches a child who turned six on or before August 1 of that year and who is under seventeen, so the duty ends on the child's seventeenth birthday (C.R.S. § 22-33-104(1)(a)). A home-based program runs on its own ages: no notice is required until the child is six, the program itself need not be established until the child is seven, and after the child turns sixteen neither the program nor the notice is required (C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5(3)(e)). One case is not settled by that. A child who was habitually truant at any time in the last six months they attended school may not be enrolled in a home-based program unless the parents first send a written description of the curricula along with the notice (C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5(3)(b)), and the statute does not say whether that condition falls away at sixteen — a family in that position should send both.

What are the ways to homeschool in Colorado?

In Colorado, families homeschool under one of three pathways: home-based educational program (written notice to any Colorado school district, C.R.S. § 22-33-104.5); enrollment in an independent or parochial school for at least 172 days (C.R.S. § 22-33-104(2)(b)); and instruction at home by a Colorado-licensed teacher (C.R.S. § 22-33-104(2)(i)(I)).

Is homeschooling legal in Colorado?

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Colorado, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. To homeschool in Colorado, file a written notice with a Colorado school district at least 14 days before a home-based program starts, and each year after. Provide 172 days averaging 4 hours, and test or evaluate in grades 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 — a composite score at or below the 13th percentile can end the exemption. Two other exemptions carry none of this: full enrollment in an independent or parochial school for at least 172 days, and instruction at home by a Colorado-licensed teacher (C.R.S. § 22-33-104(2)).

How to get started in Colorado

File a notice of intent with a Colorado school district

Send written notice to any Colorado school district (it doesn't have to be your own) at least 14 days before you begin, then again each school year. Include each child's name, age, residence, and hours of attendance. You don't file for a child under six, and the program itself need not be established until your child is seven; after your child turns sixteen, neither the notice nor the program is required. Colorado's attendance law reaches a child who turned six on or before August 1 of that year and runs to the child's seventeenth birthday, but a child in a home-based program is exempt from it. One condition to watch: if your child was habitually truant at any time during the last six months they attended school, send a written description of the curricula your program will use along with the notice, or your child may not be enrolled in the program. The statute does not say whether that condition falls away at sixteen, so a family in that position is safest sending both.

Official resource (ed.cde.state.co.us) →

Provide 172 days of instruction

At least 172 days a year, averaging 4 instructional contact hours per day. Keep an attendance log.

Teach the required subjects

Reading, writing, and speaking; math; history; civics; literature; science; and the U.S. Constitution. You choose the materials — Colorado mandates no curriculum.

Test or evaluate in grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11

In each of those grades, give a nationally standardized achievement test — not the Colorado state assessment — or have your child evaluated by a qualified person you choose: a Colorado-licensed teacher, a teacher employed by an independent or parochial school, a licensed psychologist, or someone with a graduate degree in education. Send the results to the district that received your notice, or to an independent or parochial school; if you send them to a school, that school's name still goes to the district, and you are still running a home-based program, with the notice and the 172 days still owed. There is no passing grade to report, but a composite score at or below the 13th percentile — or an evaluation showing your child is not making sufficient academic progress — requires the district to have your child placed in a public, independent, or parochial school until the next testing period, after your child has been offered a retest on an alternate version of the test or a different approved test.

Official resource (ed.cde.state.co.us) →

Keep your records

Keep attendance data, test or evaluation results, and immunization records, and keep them on a permanent basis — the parent in charge of the program holds them. Beyond your yearly notice and the results you send in, nothing is routinely submitted, but the district that received your notice may require you to produce your records on 14 days' written notice, and only if the superintendent has probable cause to believe the program is not meeting the statute's guidelines.

What Romeschool tracks for you: Attendance, testing reminders, filing reminders.

Generate your Colorado Notice of Intent →Colorado funding & ESAs Find field trips in Colorado

Sources for Colorado

Official source (ed.cde.state.co.us) ↗HSLDA's Colorado summary ↗

Statute: C.R.S. §§ 22-33-104, 22-33-104.5

Last reviewed: June 5, 2026

Corrected: September 23, 2026, after re-reading the official source for what changed

Every requirement above comes from our review of Colorado’s rules, checked against these sources on June 5, 2026 and corrected on September 23, 2026 after re-reading the official source for what changed. Homeschool law changes, and a state can amend its rules between our reviews — read the official source before you file anything or rely on a date here. How we review state requirements.

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