Welcome Coloradoans

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.

Homeschooling Options in Colorado

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.

Notice of Intent

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

Your signature

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.

When do I file?

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.

Where do I file?

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.

How do I file?

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.

Attendance Requirement

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.

Record Keeping

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.

Testing

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.

Independent Schools

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.

CHEC

Spiral Academy

Which Option Do I Choose?

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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Colorado Homeschooling: Frequently Asked Questions

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