Homeschooling in Colorado

Plan the instruction and keep permanent records

Provide at least 172 days of instruction averaging four instructional contact hours per day. CDE says a family beginning during the school year may prorate that requirement against attendance already completed.

The program must include communication skills of reading, writing, and speaking; mathematics; history; civics; literature; science; and regular instruction in the United States Constitution. The parent selects the curriculum.

Keep each child’s records permanently. They must include attendance, test and evaluation results, and immunization records as required by law. The filing district may demand the records only when its superintendent has probable cause to believe the program is not complying and gives fourteen days’ written notice.

Complete the required assessments

Evaluate the child’s academic progress in grades three, five, seven, nine, and eleven. Choose either a nationally standardized achievement test or an evaluation by a qualified person selected by the parent. A qualified person may be a Colorado-licensed teacher, a teacher employed by an independent or parochial school, a licensed psychologist, or a person with a graduate degree in education.

Submit the result to the district holding your notice or to a Colorado independent or parochial school. If you use a private school, give its name to the filing district.

Both choices carry an academic-progress consequence. A standardized-test score at or below the thirteenth percentile triggers school placement until the next testing period, but the child must first receive an opportunity to retest as the statute specifies. A qualified-person evaluation finding insufficient progress according to the child’s ability also triggers school placement until the next testing period.

Understand the two alternative routes

A child may instead satisfy compulsory attendance by actually enrolling in and attending an independent or parochial school that provides the required basic academic education. An organization that merely stores records, issues transcripts, or offers support does not automatically qualify the child for this route or eliminate the home-based notice.

A separate exemption also applies when the child is instructed at home by a teacher holding a valid Colorado teaching license. The notice and assessment provisions of C.R.S. 22-33-104.5 do not govern that licensed-teacher route.

CDE states that there is no state homeschool diploma and no required GED. A parent may graduate the student by issuing a diploma. Receiving colleges, employers, military branches, and licensing bodies may apply their own documentation requirements.

Your home base: SchoolhouseTeachers.com

Colorado gives parents responsibility for the educational program, annual notice, assessments, and permanent records. SchoolhouseTeachers.com gives your family curriculum and organizational tools in one HOME BASE.

One online family membership gives every child unlimited access to hundreds of online, self-paced courses from preschool through twelfth grade, all from a Biblical worldview, with graduation and college-preparation resources.

You will also find Virtual School Boxes, self-grading iST courses, World Book Online, and thousands of family-friendly videos.

The Homeschool Records & Compliance Center gives you tools to plan the year, document progress, and organize your Colorado homeschool records:

• Education Plan Builder for mapping each child’s subjects and courses
• Custom Schedule Builder for organizing your school year
• Gradebook and report cards for tracking academic progress
• Portfolio Builder for collecting work samples
• High-school planning resources for organizing courses, credits, and graduation records
• Applecore recordkeeping for grades, attendance, courses, and transcript information
• Certificates of Completion for documenting finished courses

One family membership. Every child in your HOME. No fee per child. No fee per course. No limits.