Regulation<\/h2>\n
Colorado<\/a> offers multiple options for families to school at home, including under the homeschool statute or as part of an independent umbrella school. In Colorado, homeschooling families with children ages 6 to 17 must follow the homeschool laws<\/a>, and an annual notice of intent to homeschool is required for children aged 6 to 16. Parents must provide instruction in subjects including English language arts, math, history, and science, as well as maintain and submit attendance records to their local school district upon request. There is a minimum instruction time<\/a> of 172 days per year. Colorado does not require parental educational qualifications or certifications to homeschool. Students must be tested or evaluated in certain grades (essentially every other year). Homeschooled students cannot receive a state diploma; however, a GED diploma is possible. Different rules apply for students in a homeschool co-op.<\/p>\n Nonpublic school students and homeschoolers have the same rights as public school students in terms of access<\/a> to public school offerings like extracurriculars and sports. If a child is attending the public school part-time, then they appear to have full access to that school\u2019s offerings, including academic courses. Otherwise, it seems that students not attending the school do not have access to courses, and funding is not available. Access to special education services is unclear. Nothing explicitly addresses homeschooled students, but decisions as to whether to provide special needs services to nonpublic students are made at the discretion of the local board of education within a district.<\/p>\n Over the past 20 years, Colorado homeschooling<\/a> participation rates have fluctuated. In 2001, there were nearly 10,000 homeschooled students. However, in 2012 homeschool enrollment dropped to just under 6,000 students. Homeschooling spiked in 2020 during the pandemic, and after an initial post-pandemic decline participation has begun to grow again. Colorado also provides homeschool participation data by county. Again, it is important to note that these counts may be low, given that some students are likely homeschooling under an \u201cumbrella\u201d private school and may not be included in these counts.<\/p>\n According to the U.S. Census<\/a>, approximately 3.4% of families homeschooled in Colorado in the spring of 2020, which increased to 8.7% in the fall. Both are below the national averages of 5.4% and 11.1% during the same time. Again, this low participation could be accurate, or a result of homeschool parents identifying as private schooling. Based on U.S. Census data<\/a>, our calculations indicate that about 5.74<\/span>% of K-12 students in Colorado <\/span>were homeschooled during the 2022-23 school year, and 7.00<\/span>% during the 2023-24 school year. Due to<\/span> <\/span>survey<\/span> changes<\/span>, the<\/span> data from 2020<\/span> reflects<\/span> the percentage of households, while <\/span>the data from <\/span>following years<\/span> reflect<\/span>s the percentage of<\/span> students<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nDownload Homeschool Hub State Data<\/span><\/a>\n During the 2019-20 academic year, 0.8% of Colorado\u2019s K-12 students were homeschooled. Homeschool participation in the state was much lower than the 4.7% of private school students. 13.1% of Colorado students attended charter schools, almost tripling the percentage of students attending private schools. In the 2021-22 academic year, 1.11% of Colorado\u2019s K-12 students were homeschooled. Homeschool participation in the state was much lower than the 5.5% of students attending private schools and 13.8% of Colorado students attending charter schools.<\/p>\n Parents in Colorado have several options<\/a> for choosing a school for their children. They can opt for traditional public, charter, magnet, online, or private schools along with homeschooling. Colorado also offers inter-district and intra-district choice. While the state offers some programs like the Public Schools of Choice Program<\/a> and the Charter School Program to partially assist with school choice, public funding for homeschooling expenses is not available.<\/p>\n Colorado provides broad access to public school offerings for homeschooled students, particularly sports and extracurricular activities. Regarding testing, homeschooled students in Colorado are required to take a nationally standardized test, while public school students take a state test. This holds homeschooled students to a higher standard than the public school students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-620","us_state","type-us_state","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"State Data<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/education.jhu.edu\/edpolicy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/CO.png\")
<\/p>\nCross-Sector Comparison<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/education.jhu.edu\/edpolicy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/02\/CO_piechart_1920.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/education.jhu.edu\/edpolicy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/02\/CO_piechart_2122.png\")
<\/p>\nSchool Choice Context<\/h2>\n
Commentary<\/h2>\n