Colorado asks for a few specific things. Colorado sets out a handful of real requirements. None of them are difficult, but the deadlines are genuine and worth putting in a calendar. Here is the whole list.

What you file, and by when

Yes, for the home-based education option: written notice filed at least 14 days before starting the program and annually thereafter. It may be filed with ANY school district in the state (not necessarily your district of residence). Contents: name, age, place of residence, and number of hours of attendance for each child. Two alternative legal routes require NO notice under 22-33-104.5: (1) enrolling the child in an independent or parochial 'umbrella' school, or (2) being taught by a Colorado-licensed teacher under 22-33-104(2)(i).

Days or hours

172 days of instruction per year, averaging four instructional contact hours per day (roughly 688 hours). Applies to the home-based education option only.

Subjects you must cover

Communication skills of reading, writing, and speaking; mathematics; history; civics; literature; science; and a course on the U.S. Constitution.

Records you keep

Parent must maintain a permanent record of attendance data, test and evaluation results, and immunization records. A school district may inspect records only if it has probable cause to believe the program is noncompliant, and must give 14 days' written notice before requesting them.

Testing or evaluation

Required in grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. Either (a) a nationally standardized achievement test, or (b) a qualified-person evaluation (Colorado-licensed teacher, licensed psychologist, or person with a graduate degree in education, or a teacher at an independent/parochial school). Results go to the school district or to the independent/parochial school that holds the records. CONSEQUENCE: a composite score at or below the 13th percentile (or an evaluation showing insufficient progress) triggers a retest with an alternate/different approved test; if the score is still at or below the 13th percentile the district must require enrollment in a public, independent, or parochial school until the next testing period. State CMAS/standardized assessments are not required.

Diplomas and transcripts

Colorado issues no state diploma or credential to homeschoolers, and there are no state credit or Carnegie-unit requirements. The parent issues the diploma and transcript. Note the 11th-grade testing/evaluation obligation lands squarely in high school and must still be met. Homeschool graduates are eligible for CDHE-administered state financial aid and in-state institutions, but many campuses ask for a detailed parent transcript plus test scores; some ask for a GED only if the transcript is inadequate, a GED is not legally required. Concurrent enrollment/ASCENT access generally requires enrollment in a district or umbrella school, so families wanting dual credit often use the independent/parochial-school route instead of the 104.5 notice route.

Where this comes from

Statute: Colo. Rev. Stat. § 22-33-104.5 (and § 22-33-104(2)(i) for the licensed-teacher option)

Source: https://ed.cde.state.co.us/choice/homeschool-faq

Last reviewed: July 2026 · our confidence in this entry: high

Homeschool law changes, and a page like this goes stale without announcing it. Check the statute above against your own reading before a filing deadline. If we are out of date, we would rather hear it from you than have you find out at the district office.

Keeping the records is the other half of this. Our Records System has the editable transcript with the GPA already wired, 131 course descriptions, and this same statute-cited summary for all fifty states and DC. Thirty-nine dollars, one household, however many children you have.