How to Start Homeschooling in Colorado

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.

Step by step

1. 1

   Understand Colorado's homeschool law

   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.

2. 2

   Withdraw from public school (if enrolled)

   To withdraw your child from public school in Colorado, send a written withdrawal letter to the principal or registrar, then file a notice of intent with your local school district so the transition is on record before instruction begins. Rather than hand-writing the withdrawal letter, Homeschool Fox produces a pre-formatted PDF ready to send to the district.

3. 3

   File your notice of intent

   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.

4. 4

   Plan your subjects

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

5. 5

   Set your hours or days target

   Colorado requires an average of 4 hours of instruction per day over 172 school days, which works out to roughly 688 hours per year.

6. 6

   Plan for assessment and records

   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).

7. 7

   Track your hours and keep records

   Log activities as they happen so hours, attendance, and subject coverage build up automatically. Homeschool Fox lets you log from your phone or by voice and generates a Colorado-specific compliance report when you need it.

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.

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.

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

More Colorado guides

• Colorado Homeschool Requirements Hours, notice, assessment, and subjects at a glance.
• 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.