Homeschool requirements · Colorado
Homeschooling in Colorado
Moderate paperwork · A notice and a yearly assessment or records check.
File a notice of intent 14 days before starting each year; teach 172 days averaging four hours a day; test or evaluate at grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11.
What Colorado asks
| Notice | Written notice of intent to a Colorado school district 14 days before beginning, renewed annually. |
|---|---|
| Days and hours | 172 days, 688 hours a year, 4 hours a day |
| Subjects | Reading, Writing, Speaking, Math, History, Civics, Literature, Science, U.S. Constitution |
| Assessment | Standardized test or qualified evaluation in grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11; results submitted to the district. |
| Records to keep | Attendance, test and evaluation results, and immunization records; produce on request. |
| Parent qualification | None. |
| Worth knowing | Enrolling in an umbrella (independent) school is an alternative to the notice-of-intent route. |
Deadlines
These are the dates the app tracks for Colorado. Districts vary; the app lets you edit any of them.
| What | When | To whom | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notice of intent Notice · Mail it | Within -14 days of starting | A Colorado school district | 14 days before starting, renewed annually. |
| Test or evaluation (grades 3, 5, 7, 9, 11) Assessment · Mail it | By the end of the school year (grades 3, 5, 7, 9, 11) | The district you notified | Results are submitted to the district. |
| Attendance and hours record Records · Keep in your files | By the end of the school year | Keep in your files | 172 days averaging 4 hours. |
What HomeSchool Scribe does in Colorado
- Notice of intent: Prepares the notice letter; reminds you 14 days and 2 days before; lets you mark it filed with the date.
- Test or evaluation (grades 3, 5, 7, 9, 11): Prepares the transcript; reminds you 14 days and 2 days before; lets you mark it filed with the date.
- Attendance and hours record: Prepares the attendance and hours report; reminds you 14 days and 2 days before; keeps it in records.
Attendance and hours fill in from the lessons you check off, so the documents above come from records you already have.
Read the law yourself
Colorado Department of Education · HSLDA’s Colorado summary
Not legal advicePlanning summaries in plain language, reviewed 2026-09-07. Deadlines and recipients vary by district; confirm with Colorado’s current law or a homeschool legal organization before you file anything. If something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it for every family in Colorado.