Colorado Homeschool Laws and Requirements
What Colorado requires, in plain English — and a free way to track it without spreadsheets. Log activities, watch your pace, and generate records when you need them.
The short answer
Colorado has moderate homeschool requirements. Families must provide an average of 4 hours per day over 172 school days, and you'll file notice with your local school district.
Colorado at a glance
Verified September 2026- Required hours
- About 688 hrs/year
- School days
- 172 days/year
- Required subjects
- 9 subjects
- Notice
- Required each year
- Testing / evaluation
- Parent's choice (testing or evaluation)
- Recordkeeping
- Required
Jump to the full Colorado requirements for plain-English detail on each of these.
Free tool
Calculate your homeschool pace
Colorado sets days and a daily length that work out to roughly 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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What Homeschool Fox tracks for Colorado
The records Colorado asks you to keep, plus the rest of your year, in one place. No spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.
- Hours toward your 688-hour goal
- Required subjects
- Days attended
- The records Colorado asks you to keep
- Parent's choice (testing or evaluation)
- Daily activity logs
- Printable PDF reports
- Progress tracking
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
Homeschool Fox logs
- Reading 45 min
- Math 30 min
- History / Social Studies 20 min
Today's total
1 hr 35 min
Your Colorado requirements, in plain English
Tap any item for the details.
Notice requirements
Required
Required hours
688 hrs/yr
Required subjects
9 subjects
Testing / evaluation
Required
Recordkeeping & portfolio
Records required
Withdrawing from public school
Letter + notice
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. The homeschool rules can start or stop at different ages, and the requirements below say when.
The instructional requirement in Colorado is defined in two dimensions: an average of 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. Check what Colorado asks the notice to contain before you send it. The contents are set by the state rather than by local preference, and the withdrawal section below names the form Colorado expects.
Assessment in Colorado takes the form of parent's choice of assessment 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 year's record on its own.
Notice requirements
Notice is required
Yes, Colorado requires you to file notice of your intent to homeschool. You must notify your local school district. The notice is filed again each school year.
Need a head start? Use the free Notice of Intent generator to draft your Colorado filing, then check the withdrawal section below for the form or affidavit Colorado expects it on.
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 intentWithdrawing 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 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.
Looking for curriculum?
Browse our curriculum directory to find the right fit for your family, then log the year in Homeschool Fox.
Additional notes
File written notification 14 days before starting. Testing or evaluation required in grades
3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. SB26-023 (2026-27) tightened part-time public-school programs for
homeschoolers — programs must collect a copy of your notice of intent at enrollment and can
no longer fund or reimburse private purchases — and Education ReEnvisioned BOCES cannot
operate programs in 2026-27, so confirm any ERBOCES-authorized enrichment program before
counting on it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to notify anyone to homeschool in Colorado?
How many hours do I need to homeschool in Colorado?
Does Colorado require testing for homeschoolers?
Do I need to keep a portfolio in Colorado?
What subjects must I teach in Colorado?
Nearby states
View all statesHow Colorado compares
Nine rules side by side with the states families move between most, and what changes in each direction.
- Colorado vs Arizona (7 rules differ)
- Colorado vs California (6 rules differ)
- Colorado vs Florida (8 rules differ)
- Colorado vs Kansas (5 rules differ)
- Colorado vs Nebraska (5 rules differ)
- Colorado vs New Mexico (5 rules differ)
- Colorado vs Oklahoma (5 rules differ)
- Colorado vs Texas (6 rules differ)
- Colorado vs Utah (5 rules differ)
- Colorado vs Wyoming (6 rules differ)
Want the cross-state comparison? Homeschool laws by state covers the legal regime in every state side by side.
Common mistakes in Colorado
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Losing track of which testing year you are in
Colorado asks for a test or an evaluation in grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. Because it skips years, families forget which one is next. Write the five grades on your student's file at the start and check it each August.
Free Colorado printables
Three ready-to-use PDFs for Colorado homeschoolers. No account needed.
Templates, not legal advice. Confirm the current rule with your state or district.
Get notified when Colorado changes its rules
We track Colorado's statute and department pages and email you when the requirements move. Free, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Colorado last verified September 25, 2026.
Reviewed and sourced
Last verified: September 2026. We review Colorado's requirements against official sources and update this page when the rules change.
Our monitor last confirmed the source pages were live on Sep 28, 2026.
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
Colorado in context: one of 19 states that require hours or days · one of 16 states that require testing or evaluation · one of 36 states that require notice · one of 10 states that require progress reports · one of 31 states that name required subjects.
- How to Start Homeschooling in Colorado A step-by-step guide from withdrawal to your first logged day.
- Homeschooling High School in Colorado Credits, GPA, transcripts, and graduation.
- Record Keeping in Colorado What to document, how to organize it, and staying compliant.
- How to Withdraw From School in Colorado The steps, the letter, and timing to avoid truancy issues.
- Moving to Colorado What to file when you arrive and whether your records transfer.
- Public School Sports in Colorado Whether homeschoolers can play, what it takes, and who to ask.
- Homeschool Hours Required in Colorado The number, what counts toward it, and the pace to hit it.
- Required Subjects in Colorado The list, how much time each needs, and proving you taught them.
- Colorado Letter of Intent Who to file with, when it's due, and a free generator.
- Colorado Test Results What goes in it, when it's due, and who reviews it.
- Homeschool Testing in Colorado What the state asks for, when, and low-score rules.
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