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Colorado homeschool requirements

Track your Colorado homeschool requirements without spreadsheets

Homeschool Fox helps you understand Colorado's requirements, log activities, track progress, and generate records when you need them.

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Verified June 2026 State-specific sources No credit card required

Colorado at a glance

Required hours
688 hrs/year
School days
172 days/year
Required subjects
9 subjects
Notice
Required
Testing / evaluation
Parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation)
Recordkeeping
Recommended

Jump to the full Colorado requirements for plain-English detail on each of these.

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Calculate your homeschool pace

Colorado requires 688 hours/year. Enter how far you've come and we'll show you the daily pace to finish on time.

Leave at 0 if you haven't started tracking yet.

Add your school year end date to see your pace.

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We'll set up your dashboard with Colorado's tracking targets. No credit card required.

What Homeschool Fox tracks for Colorado

Everything Colorado expects you to keep, in one place — no spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.

  • Hours toward your 688-hour goal
  • Required subjects & core hours
  • Daily activity logs
  • Attendance records
  • Notes & portfolio records
  • Printable PDF reports
  • High school transcripts
  • State-specific progress tracking
Start logging today

See it work

Log a homeschool day in seconds

Type or speak what you did in plain English. Homeschool Fox sorts it into subjects, adds up the time, and updates your Colorado progress automatically.

You write

“We read for 45 minutes, did math worksheets for 30 minutes, and watched a history video for 20 minutes.”
Parsed instantly

Homeschool Fox logs

  • Reading 45 min
  • Math 30 min
  • History / Social Studies 20 min

Today's total

1 hr 35 min

Progress updated
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Your Colorado requirements, in plain English

Tap any item for the details.

Notice requirements

Required
Yes, Colorado requires you to file notice of your intent to homeschool. You must notify your local school district.

Required hours

688 hrs/yr
Colorado requires at least 4 hours of instruction per day over 172 school days, which works out to roughly 688 hours per year.

Required subjects

9 subjects
Colorado requires instruction in the following subjects: reading, writing, speaking, math, history, civics, literature, science, and constitution. Beyond these requirements, you have flexibility to add subjects that interest your family.

Testing / evaluation

Required
Colorado requires a test or evaluation at the end of grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. Families may choose a nationally standardized test or an evaluation by a qualified person (certified teacher, licensed psychologist, or holder of a graduate education degree). Results must be submitted to the school district where notice was filed, or to a Colorado independent or parochial school (in which case the parent must notify the original district of the alternative recipient).

Recordkeeping & portfolio

Recommended
Colorado law doesn't require a formal portfolio, but families must keep attendance data, the results of each test or evaluation, and immunization records. These are produced only if the superintendent has probable cause to question compliance.

Withdrawing from public school

Letter + notice
Colorado requires written notification to a school district 14 days before you begin home-based education, including for a child you're withdrawing from public school. File the notice, then notify the current school so attendance reflects the transfer, and keep a copy. The notice can go to any Colorado district (not only your own), and you re-file each year you continue.

Full guide

Homeschooling in Colorado: the complete guide

If you're homeschooling in Colorado, you're working inside a moderately regulated framework with enough structure to keep the state informed but plenty of room to build a family-shaped program. Compulsory attendance in Colorado covers children ages 6-17, which means a homeschool program needs to be in place for any child in that range.

The instructional requirement in Colorado is defined in two dimensions: 4 hours of teaching per day, times 172 days in the school year. Parents build a schedule that fits their household. Some days are heavy on formal lessons, others rely on field trips, co-ops, or project-based learning, and all of it contributes to the yearly total of roughly 688 hours.

Notice filing is the gateway for Colorado homeschool families: a short document submitted to your local school district sets the record straight for the year ahead. Most districts accept a straightforward letter listing each student, their grade level, and a brief statement of intent.

Assessment in Colorado takes the form of parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation) at specified grade levels. It's more of a pulse-check on how learning is landing than a pass/fail exam.

The required subjects in Colorado (reading, writing, speaking, math, history, civics, literature, science, and constitution) form the backbone of each year's plan, with real freedom in how deeply or creatively each is taught. The record-keeping side of homeschooling doesn't need to dominate Colorado families' evenings. Homeschool Fox lets you log activities as they happen, then builds the compliance picture on its own.

Notice requirements

Notice is required

You must notify your local school district of your intent to homeschool.

Need a head start? Use the free Notice of Intent generator to draft a Colorado-ready letter.

Deeper guides: how to write a notice of intent to homeschool covers the language admins look for, and when and where to file your notice of intent covers state-by-state deadlines and recipients.

Generate your notice of intent

Withdrawing from public school

Colorado requires written notification to a school district 14 days before you begin home-based education, including for a child you're withdrawing from public school. File the notice, then notify the current school so attendance reflects the transfer, and keep a copy. The notice can go to any Colorado district (not only your own), and you re-file each year you continue.

For the play-by-play, how to withdraw your child from public school walks through the conversation, the timing, and the paperwork. What to send the district when you pull your child covers exactly what the letter should and shouldn't say.

Assessment requirements

Assessment is required

Type:
Parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation)
Frequency:
At specified grade levels

Standardized testing for homeschoolers walks through which test to choose, where to register, and how to prep.

Portfolio & records

Portfolio not required

Colorado law doesn't require a formal portfolio, but families must keep attendance data, the results of each test or evaluation, and immunization records. These are produced only if the superintendent has probable cause to question compliance.

Required subjects

Colorado requires instruction in the following subjects.

reading writing speaking math history civics literature science constitution

Looking for curriculum?

Browse our curriculum directory to find the right fit for your family, then track your hours with Homeschool Fox to stay compliant with Colorado's requirements.

Browse curricula

Additional notes

File written notification 14 days before starting. Testing or evaluation required in grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to notify anyone to homeschool in Colorado?
Yes, Colorado requires you to file notice of your intent to homeschool. You must notify your local school district.

How many hours do I need to homeschool in Colorado?
Colorado requires at least 4 hours of instruction per day over 172 school days, which works out to roughly 688 hours per year.

Does Colorado require testing for homeschoolers?
Colorado requires a test or evaluation at the end of grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. Families may choose a nationally standardized test or an evaluation by a qualified person (certified teacher, licensed psychologist, or holder of a graduate education degree). Results must be submitted to the school district where notice was filed, or to a Colorado independent or parochial school (in which case the parent must notify the original district of the alternative recipient).

Do I need to keep a portfolio in Colorado?
Colorado law doesn't require a formal portfolio, but families must keep attendance data, the results of each test or evaluation, and immunization records. These are produced only if the superintendent has probable cause to question compliance.

What subjects must I teach in Colorado?
Colorado requires instruction in the following subjects: reading, writing, speaking, math, history, civics, literature, science, and constitution. Beyond these requirements, you have flexibility to add subjects that interest your family.

Nearby states

View all states

Want the cross-state comparison? Homeschool laws by state covers the legal regime in every state side by side.

Free Colorado printables

Two ready-to-use PDFs for Colorado homeschoolers. No account needed.

Colorado hour log Printable daily log, prefilled with the state's hour and day target. Withdrawal letter template A fillable letter to withdraw from public school, with Colorado guidance.

Templates, not legal advice. Confirm the current rule with your state or district.

Reviewed and sourced

Last verified: June 2026. We review Colorado's requirements against official sources and update this page when the rules change.

Sources

Homeschool Fox is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. We turn public homeschool requirements into practical tracking tools for families. Always confirm details with your state or a qualified advisor.

More Colorado guides

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