While I have no intention of making My Homeschool with a View specific to Colorado homeschooling, I’m seeing a need lately for specific resources. With the state’s current political climate, there are a lot of posts in Facebook groups from new homeschoolers trying to figure out where to begin. Between schools giving new guidelines, the new health mandates, and military transfer season, many are looking at how to start homeschooling in Colorado. I am here to give you a rundown on homeschooling in Colorado.
Before we dive in to homeschooling in Colorado, I need to make it clear that I am not a lawyer, an educational expert, and I don’t work for the Colorado Department of Education. Nothing I am writing is intended as legal advice, educational advice, or any other kind of expert advice. I am just a homeschool parent sharing my experience with you. Always do your own research and obtain legal counsel when necessary. Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is a great place to start.
There are three options for homeschooling in Colorado. You can file a Notice of Intent (NOI), enroll in an Independent School (Umbrella School), or have your child taught by a certified teacher (either you or someone else). I’m not going to talk much about option three as that is a whole different animal and I haven’t really looked into that option much. For this post, we will focus on the first two, as those are the options most people use for homeschooling in Colorado.
A Notice of Intent, or NOI, is simply a letter stating your intent to homeschool your children. It must include:
Your child’s name and age
Your child’s address
The number of hours they will be attending their homeschool
You can put all of your children on one NOI; just make sure you fill in the pertinent information for each student. There are plenty of NOI templates floating around on the internet. Some school districts will provide you with their form to fill out. You DO NOT have to use their form. You can write your own. Be especially careful about them asking for extra information than what is required. We have very clear guidelines for the NOI from the state, and school districts that ask for extra information are overstepping their boundaries.
Your NOI needs to be filed annually, starting when your child is six (if they are six by August 1) until they turn sixteen. It must be filed two weeks before you begin instruction. You do not have to follow the public school schedule for this. You choose your start date and file two weeks prior to that date.
You can file your NOI with ANY school district in the state. It does not need to be the one in which you live. This comes in handy if you live in a school district that is known for being unfriendly toward homeschoolers. I don’t know of any such districts, but it is an option if needed.
You can mail your NOI to any district in Colorado. If you choose to mail it, I highly recommend sending it certified with signature required. This is the document that shows you are legally homeschooling and it’s important to be able to prove compliance.
The other option is to go directly to the district office and hand-deliver your NOI. When you turn it in, ask them to make a copy for you and have them sign and date that they received it. Keep that copy for your records.
Your students must receive at least 172 days of instruction, averaging four hours per day. This may seem like a lot, especially for younger grades. Keep in mind, these hours don’t mean all book work. There are many ways to do school and many things can count as school, so don’t be intimidated by the four hours of instruction.
You must keep records of your student’s attendance, test/evaluation results, immunizations or exemptions, and any other records you want to keep. The school district where you file your NOI can request these records from you. They must give you two weeks written notice to provide the records.
Starting in third grade and every odd year after, your child must either take a nationally standardized test, or be evaluated by a qualified professional. You can check the Department of Education website for the definition of qualified professional. There are a lot of homeschool parents that are qualified and offer an evaluation service, if you choose that over testing.
If you choose the testing route, make sure it’s nationally standardized and the composite score must be above the thirteenth percentile. There are plenty of tests available for parents to purchase and administer. You choose the test and you are allowed to administer most tests yourself. The state does not require you to have a third party proctor administer the test. Test scores must be turned into the district where you file your NOI, or you can have a private school keep those records for you. If you choose to have a private school keep your tests for you, you must indicate where you will send test results on your NOI.
That is the basic information for filing an NOI. It seems like a lot of info, but take it one step at a time. You will get the hang of this. Now let’s move on to the independent school option.
The Independent School option means you sign up with a private school that oversees your homeschool. This option technically means you are under a private school, not a homeschool. I only mention this because certain public enrichment programs have taken issue with this in the past, but most understand that you are still homeschooling and don’t have a problem enrolling students that homeschool under this option.
Each independent school has their own requirements as far as testing and attendance, so you have to look at each one individually to see how to meet those requirements. Most require you to turn in attendance records and vaccination or exemption records. Some require you to turn in a curriculum plan and grades, and some do not require any testing or evaluation. They are all a little bit different. I will post links to some of the more popular umbrella schools, but you will have to look into each one individually as they do not have the same requirements.
Both are good options. You have to choose based on what works for your family. It doesn’t cost anything to file an NOI and umbrella schools can be a pretty big cost. This is a big consideration if you are already on a tight budget and would rather spend on curriculum than on an umbrella school. You have to make practical considerations and choose what you are most comfortable with. Either option can work.
I have personally homeschooled under both options, but I prefer the umbrella school option. My oldest was in a public enrichment program for the first two years we homeschooled, and they required families to file an NOI. We prefer not to do standardized testing, and evaluations were just one more thing to add to our to-do list. Since we have stopped doing public enrichment programs, we now school under an umbrella school and we like it. I prefer to be accountable to a group of people that are somewhat like minded and here to serve homeschoolers as opposed to the government.
Being a new homeschooler or just a new to Colorado homeschooler can feel overwhelming. The good news is, there is a great big homeschool community here in Colorado that is cheering you on and happy to help you succeed. I am happy to help you get started. Feel free to connect with me on social media or through email. Check out my posts in Start the Adventure to help you get started on your homeschool adventure. Never be afraid to ask for help! I wish you great success as you start homeschooling in Colorado!
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Hi there My daughter is currently in the 5th grade and we live in Texas, we are wanting to move to CO. I’m wanting her to start her 6th grade school year there with homeschooling. I have no idea where/how to start. Any suggestions or tips you may have for us? I work from home so I’ll always try to be there for her during the day. Reply
Jessica on September 30, 2020 at 2:58 amHi Melissa! Thanks for your question. Are you going to be brand new to homeschooling, or just new to homeschooling in Colorado? If you are new to homeschooling, I have several posts about getting started if you look under the Start the Adventure tab. There are more tips that I can give you than would fit in this reply, so that would be a good place for you to start getting information. Then you can start thinking about curriculum. The good thing about homeschooling a sixth grader is that they are pretty independent, which will be helpful as you work from home. Thanks for reaching out. I am happy to answer your questions as you get started! Reply
Brittany Sullivan on December 14, 2021 at 10:40 amHi Jessica. My family just moved to Colorado from Florida. We started our homeschooling journey last summer. We did not do any standardized testing, as I chose to go with a certified evaluator. Should I be unenrolling from our previous county before sending my notice of intent with the superintendent with Colorado? Also, for the subjects that are required, for the state of Colorado. Do I start those subjects right in the middle of the school year with my younger children? The curriculum I use recommends waiting until higher grade levels. I have an eighth-grader who will be starting homeschooling, who was previously attending a private school. Do I transition him right in the middle of our group subjects? I apologize for the questions. I am very overwhelmed with the process. It’s a lot of work, moving just complicated things for me. I want to make sure I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. I have a child with an IEP and another who fell behind grade level-wise. I am worried they will struggle during evaluations, even though there has been so much growth since I have pulled them from school. Any advice or information is very much appreciated. Thank you! Reply
Jessica on December 15, 2021 at 4:49 pmLet me start by stating that this is not intended as legal advice and I always say you should do your own research. That being said, here is what I have found based on my own experience homeschooling in Colorado. Okay, let me take this question by question. Should I be unenrolling from our previous county before sending my notice of intent with the superintendent with Colorado?
I’m assuming you mean unenrolling with your previous county in Florida. What happens in Florida really has no bearing on homeschooling in Colorado. Follow the procedure for Florida (which I do believe says you need to send notice that you are no longer homeschooling there), but also the procedure for Colorado. No matter what Florida requires, you still need to file your NOI or enroll in an umbrella school in Colorado. They are separate states so one states rules have nothing to do with the other. Also, for the subjects that are required, for the state of Colorado. Do I start those subjects right in the middle of the school year with my younger children?
If you read the Colorado homeschool statute, it says it requires regular instruction in certain things. There’s no definition of regular instruction. You don’t have to teach everything every year. I don’t know what curriculum you are using, but you are probably fine to continue with what you’ve been doing. You also have the umbrella school option here if you want a little more flexibility, but it really isn’t that difficult to homeschool under the NOI here. I have an eighth-grader who will be starting homeschooling, who was previously attending a private school. Do I transition him right in the middle of our group subjects?
This you can do however you would like. If you plan to include your eighth grader in group subjects, I think you’re fine to start in the middle, especially if it is just content subjects or enrichment subjects. With skills subjects (math and language arts) I wouldn’t start in the middle. I have a child with an IEP and another who fell behind grade level-wise. I am worried they will struggle during evaluations, even though there has been so much growth since I have pulled them from school.
In Colorado you can choose either standardized testing or an evaluation. The standard for evaluation is adequate progress according to their ability. It doesn’t matter if they are on an IEP or “behind” as long as they are making progress according to their ability. Reply
