Homeschool Record Keeping in Colorado

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.

What to keep in Colorado

Good records are your best protection if anyone ever questions your homeschool. In Colorado, keep an organized set: a running log of what you teach and when, samples of your child's work, and any assessment or filing documents the state asks for. Depending on the rules you'll keep some at home and file others, so keep everything organized and dated.

Attendance and hours

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

Portfolio and work samples

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.

Assessment and evaluation 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).

How to organize your records

Keep one folder per child per school year: a running activity log, a stack of work samples, any test or evaluation results, and copies of anything you filed. Homeschool Fox does this automatically, logging hours by subject from your phone, tagging core versus non-core, and generating the Colorado reports and year-end summaries you may need.

Common mistakes in Colorado

• 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.

What this looks like in Homeschool Fox

Every activity you log rolls into a compliance view for Colorado, so the records exist before anyone asks for them.

Free Colorado printables

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

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

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

More Colorado guides

• Colorado Homeschool Requirements Hours, notice, assessment, and subjects at a glance.
• 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.
• 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.
• Homeschool Testing in Colorado What the state asks for, when, and low-score rules.