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, hours, and grades fill in from the lessons you check off, so the documents above come from records you already have. Records are kept for 1 years, the period Colorado asks for.
Read the law yourself
Not legal advicePlanning summaries in plain language, reviewed 2026-09-02. 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.