Colorado Homeschool Law: Statutory Overview
by Ari Armstrong
In brief, parents who choose to homeschool need to notify a school district, keep records, and get a test or evaluation every other year.
Although the statutes are technical (they are written for lawyers), complying with them, I've found, is straightforward.
Many homeschooling families in Colorado (including my family) are governed by Colorado's "Home-Based Education" law, section 22-33-104.5 in the Colorado Revised Statutes. (Alternatives, including "umbrella" schools, are discussed below.) The Colorado Department of Education reproduces those laws on its web site and also provides a homeschool FAQ. Colorado statutes are available through the legislature's web site.
This section summarizes Colorado's homeschool law as of January 2026. It is not legal advice. Parents should review the statutory language themselves or consult an attorney.
This page summarizes the law by pairing brief practical explanations with direct quotations from the statutes so readers can see the requirements themselves. Refer to the complete text of the relevant statutes for the full context.
Parent, Guardian, or Designated Relative
Summary: As a child's parent or guardian you can homeschool your child or designate an adult relative to do so.
Statutes: "'Nonpublic home-based educational program' means the sequential program of instruction for the education of a child which takes place in a home, which is provided by the child's parent [or guardian] or by an adult relative of the child designated by the parent."
Notification to a District
Summary: Homeschooling parents must send written annual notification to any school district in Colorado, once the child turns six and so long as the child is under seventeen, at least fourteen days before starting the homeschool program. Homeschooling doesn't need to start until the child turns seven. Colorado's notification requirement is administrative and does not involve curriculum approval.
Tip: I've sent my notifications to my home district, Jeffco Public Schools (Jefferson County), without any problems. If you're not sure which school district is your local one, check with a neighbor or consult the Colorado Department of Education's web page on school districts.
Statutes: Parents choosing to homeschool must "provide written notification of the establishment of said program to a [any] school district within the state fourteen days prior to the establishment of said program and each year thereafter if the program is maintained. The parent in charge and in control of a nonpublic home-based educational program shall certify, in writing, only a statement containing the name, age, place of residence, and number of hours of attendance of each child enrolled in said program." Parents do NOT need to provide notice until the "child is six years of age," "establish the program until the parent's child is seven years of age," or "continue the program or provide the notification after the child is sixteen years of age."
Extra Responsibilities in Truancy Cases
Summary: If a child has been legally designated habitually truant at any time during the last six months the child attended school before enrolling in a home-based program, a narrow and specifically defined set of cases, setting up a homeschooling program requires additional paperwork regarding curricula.
Tip: This applies only to designated habitual truancy, not to excused absences. Most families do not need to worry about this.
Statutes: Only if a child has been "habitually truant . . . at any time during the last six months that the child attended school before proposed enrollment in a nonpublic home-based educational program," the child "may not be enrolled in the [home-based] program unless the child's parents first submit a written description of the curricula to be used in the program along with the written notification of establishment of the program."
Days and Hours Requirements
Summary: A homeschooled child must log at least 172 days of instruction in a school year averaging four instructional hours per day.
Tip: You can include a wide variety of activities in your log. Many families log activities such as sports, hiking, cooking, and other practical skills as part of their instructional hours. Although not required, my family homeschools the entire year, except during holidays and travel, so we log more days than required. On most of those days we log more than four hours of instruction.
Statutes: "A nonpublic home-based educational program shall include no less than one hundred seventy-two days of instruction, averaging four instructional contact hours per day."
Content Requirements
Summary: A homeschooling program must cover some basics that you'd expect.
Statutes: "A nonpublic home-based educational program shall include, but need not be limited to, communication skills of reading, writing, and speaking, mathematics, history, civics, literature, science, and regular courses of instruction in the constitution of the United States."
Testing or Evaluation Requirements
Summary: As a homeschooling parent, you need to have your child take a standardized test or be evaluated by a teacher or other relevant professional in every-other grade starting in third grade. A very low test score (thirteenth percentile or lower) or an evaluation showing "that the child is not making sufficient academic progress" results in retesting or in school enrollment.
Tip: My family used the California Achievement Test, which we ordered online and administered at home, and mailed the results to our district. I've seen certified teachers advertise their evaluation services online for a modest fee.
Statutes: "Each child participating in a nonpublic home-based educational program shall be evaluated when such child reaches grades three, five, seven, nine, and eleven. Each child shall be given a nationally standardized achievement test to evaluate the child's academic progress, or a qualified person shall evaluate the child's academic progress. The test or evaluation results, whichever is appropriate, shall be submitted to the school district that received the notification . . . or an independent or parochial school within the state of Colorado." Regarding a test: "If the child's composite score on said test is at or below the thirteenth percentile, the school district shall require the parents to place said child in a public or independent or parochial school until the next testing period; except that no action shall be taken until the child is given the opportunity to be retested using an alternate version of the same test or a different nationally standardized achievement test selected by the parent from a list of approved tests supplied by the state board." Regarding an evaluation: "If the evaluation results show that the child is not making sufficient academic progress, the school district shall require the child's parents to place the child in a public or independent or parochial school until the next testing period." An evaluation may be conducted by a licensed teacher, "a teacher who is employed by an independent or parochial school, a licensed psychologist, or a person with a graduate degree in education."
Records Requirements
Summary: You need to keep attendance records (such as days of instruction and hours of attendance) and maintain records regarding test or evaluation results and immunization records (with exceptions). The district where you register may request these records only under limited circumstances for cause. In practice, districts rarely request records unless a concern has been raised.
Tip on Attendance Records: My family keeps a daily log in a paper notebook listing, by date, all education-related activities with the time spent. (We also save all workbooks and other materials, although that's not necessary per the law.)
Tip on Immunization Records: If, as with my family, your child is fully immunized, generally you can satisfy the homeschool record-keeping requirement by maintaining up-to-date immunization records. Most families operating under Colorado's Home-Based Education law are not required to submit immunization records or exemptions unless a limited statutory condition applies (such as part-time attendance at a school). If immunization compliance is required, Colorado permits nonmedical exemptions either by completing a state-administered online education module or by submitting a standardized exemption form signed by an authorized health-care professional. When a district is exercising its homeschool records-request authority, it is entitled only to immunization records or a signed statement by a parent or legal guardian that the student is exempt. See CRS 25-4-901 through 25-4-903 for details.
Statutes: "The records of each child participating in a nonpublic home-based educational program shall be maintained on a permanent basis by the parent in charge and in control of said program. The records shall include, but need not be limited to, attendance data, test and evaluation results, and immunization records, as required by sections 25-4-901, 25-4-902, and 25-4-903, C.R.S. Such records shall be produced to the school district that received the notification . . . upon fourteen days' written notice if the superintendent of said school district has probable cause to believe that said program is not in compliance with the guidelines."
Alternatives to the Home-Based Education Law
Under CRS 22-33-104, a child may be "instructed at home" by a licensed teacher, whether a parent or someone else, without being subject to the requirements of the "Home-Based Education" law. In addition, a child may be enrolled "in an independent or parochial school which provides a basic academic education" for at least 172 days per year. In practice, many Colorado "homeschoolers" register with a private "umbrella" school and so do not fall under the "Home-Based Education" law. The Colorado Department of Education reports, "In 2024–25 students who reported as homeschooled full-time increased by 4.7% to 9,826 students." But this counts only students who register with a district under the "Home-Based Education" law; probably many more students "homeschool" through a private "umbrella" school. My family has worked within the guidelines of the "Home-Based Education" law, and we've been completely happy doing that. We also know people who have worked through an umbrella.
Explore More
Main | Blog
Colorado Homeschool Law: Statutory Overview
Practical Concerns about Homeschooling: Socialization, Time, and College
Why Homeschooling Families Choose That Path
Resources for Secular Homeschoolers
About | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Stay in Touch: Email Updates | Facebook