Colorado
• Compulsory Attendance Ages: "7 and under the age of 16. (§22-33-104). Parents must formally withdraw any six-year-old previously enrolled in first grade.• Required Days of Instruction: 172 days, averaging four hours per day. (§22-33-104.5)
• Required Subjects: Including, but not limited to, Constitution of the United States, reading, writing, speaking, math, history, civics, literature, and science.
(§22-33-104.5 (3)(d))
• Teacher Qualifications: None, unless a child is taught by a private tutor, who must be certified.
• Standardized Tests: Children complying with the home school law must do one of the following:
I. Testing Option: Be tested with any national standardized achievement test for grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. (§ 22-33-104.5(3)(f))
The test results shall be submitted to the district in which the initial notice is filed or an independent or parochial school within the state of Colorado.
If the test or evaluation results are submitted to an independent or parochial school, the name of such school shall be provided to the local school district of residence.
If test results show "a composite score ... above the thirteenth percentile," the child will continue to be exempt from compulsory public school attendance requirements. (§22-33-104.5(5)(a))
If the child scores below the thirteenth percentile, the private school must notify the public school. Then the child will have a chance to be retested "using an alternative version of the same test or a different nationally standardized achievement test selected by the parent from a list of approved tests." (§ 22-33-104.5(5)(b))
II. Evaluation Option: Be evaluated by a "qualified person" who is "selected by the parent" and is a Colorado certified teacher or a teacher employed by a private school or a licensed psychologist or a person with a graduate degree in education. The evaluation must "show that the child is making sufficient academic progress according to the child's ability" for grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. Evaluations can be sent to either the public or private school.
• Home schools have three options:
Option 1: "It is the primary right and obligation of the parent to choose the proper education and training for children under his care and supervision. It is recognized that home-based education is a legitimate alternative to classroom attendance for the instruction of children and that any regulation of non-public home-based educational programs should be sufficiently flexible to accommodate a variety of circumstances. The General Assembly further declares that non-public home-based educational programs shall be subject only to minimum state controls which are currently applicable to other forms of non-public education." (§ 22-33-104.5(1))
a. Instruction in a non-public home-based educational program may be provided by a parent, guardian, or an adult relative designated by a parent.
(§22-33-104.5(2)(a) and (b))
b. A home school "is not intended to be and does not qualify as a private and nonprofit school."
c. Parents must give notice 14 days before starting home schooling and annually thereafter. The parents have the choice to file the notice in any school district in the state.
d. The notice must include names, ages, residence, and hours of attendance of children taught. There is no requirement to use local school district's forms.
e. Parents must keep records of attendance, test and evaluation results, and immunization records which the school district in which the parents filed their original notice may see only with fourteen days' notice if the superintendent "has probable cause to believe" the home school program is not in compliance with the law. (§22-33-104.5(3)(g))
• Alternative Statutes Allowing for Home Schools:
Option 2: Parents can enroll their children in a Colorado "independent school" but teach them at home. (§22-33-104(2)(b)), children enrolled in an independent or parochial school that provides a basic academic education can be allowed by that school to be taught at home.
a. Under this option, parents can establish an independent school by keeping minimal records, and provide instruction in the required subjects. The independent school must be comprised of at least two home school families.
b. The administrator can be one of the parents. The teachers are the parents, and all teaching is done in separate campus sites in each home.
Option 3: If a home schooling parent or other person is certified in Colorado to teach, the home school in which they are providing instruction is exempt from all other requirements, including testing. (§22-33-104(2)(i))
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Colorado State High School Graduation Standards:
There is no statewide definition for High School Graduation Requirements. Each local school board defines graduation requirements for its district. These vary from district to district. The state considers a graduate to be any student who has met the graduation requirements for his or her local school district.Important Note: State Graduation requirements are not necessarily the best guideline for homeschoolers to use. They have been included here as a guideline for what a typical public school student would need to complete in order to graduate.
A more important guideline may be the College Entrance requirements for where your student would like to attend college. While colleges have differing requirements, there are many colleges that publish requirements for homeschool graduates.
Related Pages:
Homeschool Support Groups in Colorado
Colleges in Colorado