Colorado homeschool laws are essential knowledge for parents in the Rocky Mountain state looking to take on their child’s education needs. There are a variety of reasons a parent might choose to homeschool, many of which we cover in our how to homeschool guide. But no matter what your needs or reasonings might be, understanding what Colorado homeschool laws are is an absolute must if you want to prevent legal complications in your life.

Colorado Homeschool Laws

You must write your intent to homeschool to your local school district at least two weeks, or 14 days, before starting to homeschool your child. If your child is between the ages of six and sixteen, it is an absolute must that you give written intent to homeschool. The caveat with age six being that they are age six as of August 1st of that school year.

Now, you aren’t bound by any laws to start homeschooling until the age of seven, so technically, there could be legal time lapse between removal from public school system to homeschool start date. But this is only if you remove the child at age six on the nose.

The Notification must have the following information on it:

• Name of child
• Age of child
• Child’s home address
• Hours of attendance

Please note, you must resubmit this notice every year you intend to homeschool your child in Colorado. These notifications can be given to any number of public school district locations. You can find those here.

Colorado Homeschool Record Keeping

You must keep records as a homeschool parent. The state can request records for any of the following.

Attendance: Your homeschool curriculum must consist of 172 days. It will need to average 4 hours per day.

Colorado Homeschool Vaccines: Things get a bit murky in the area and I encourage you to seek out further information. While Colorado does require keeping the records and they can request the records, it doesn’t appear they require proof to be submitted. In other words, you’re legally bound to keep the immunization records, but not to submit them. The superintendent can request the vaccine records if they suspect the homeschool is non-compliant. Colorado homeschools that practice under the private tutor option is not required to vaccinate their child (source).

Scores on tests: The testing must be done using state standardized testing in grades 3, 5, 7, 9, 11. An approved testing company must be used. You can find that list on CHEC Testing. Subjects covered must be reading, writing, speaking, math, civics, history, English literature, science, and subjects that help students understand the constitution. The state is not legally permitted to offer further insight into this matter. This is covered in full in C.R.S. 22-33-104.5(3)(f).

Colorado Homeschool Support Groups

When embarking on a new journey such as homeschooling, it can be tiresome and stressful. You might question yourself or have trouble deciding on what’s the best homeschool curriculum. Sometimes, it simply takes a tribe. There are a number of great Colorado homeschool groups that you can join and find support.

Here are a few notable ones.

• The Christian Home Educators of Colorado
• Home School Dads
• Homeschool World

Colorado Homeschool Funding

Currently, parents are not entitled to any sort of homeschool funding.

Colorado Homeschool Children and GED

Homeschool children, so long as the appropriate legal protocols are followed, will graduate with a diploma and are not required to take a GED test.

Colorado Homeschool Curriculum Books

You can reach out to the Home School Resources and get information on necessary books. You should be able to acquire further direction on where you can pick up the needed materials for your Colorado homeschool.

Conclusion

Here’ a link to the state’s official Colorado homeschool laws (here). Colorado homeschool laws are a bit more stringent when compared to other homeschool laws nationally, however, it can be accomplished so long as you have a clear understanding of the laws that govern.

Please leave us more information based on your experiences in our comments section.

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