Colorado homeschool law for high school: graduation, diploma and records

Colo. Rev. Stat. § 22-33-104(1) requires children who are 6 by August 1 and under 17 to attend public school, and § 22-33-104(2) exempts children enrolled in an independent or parochial school, children taught at home by a licensed teacher, and children in a nonpublic home-based educational program under § 22-33-104.5. Section 22-33-104.5 sets the rules for the home-based program.

Colo. Rev. Stat. § 22-33-104; Colo. Rev. Stat. § 22-33-104.5

The law as of September 29, 2026.

Colorado at a glance

As of September 29, 2026

Notice to the state: Depends on the option
Home-based program: the parent gives written notice to any school district in Colorado 14 days before establishing the program and each year thereafter, certifying only each child's name, age, place of residence and number of hours of attendance. A child who was habitually truant during the last six months of school attendance may not be enrolled unless the parent first submits a written description of the curricula with the notice. The statute sets no notice for the independent school or licensed teacher options.Colo. Rev. Stat. § 22-33-104.5(3)(b), (3)(e)
Records the law asks for: Depends on the option
Home-based program: the parent must keep permanent records including attendance data, test and evaluation results and immunization records, and must produce them to the notified district on 14 days' written notice only if the superintendent has probable cause to believe the program is not complying. Independent schools set their own record policies, and the statute sets none for the licensed teacher option.Colo. Rev. Stat. § 22-33-104.5(3)(g)
Testing or evaluation: Depends on the option
Home-based program: each child is evaluated at grades 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11, either by a nationally standardized achievement test or by a qualified person (a licensed teacher, a teacher at an independent or parochial school, a licensed psychologist or a person with a graduate degree in education), with results submitted to the notified district or to a Colorado independent or parochial school (whose name is then given to the district). If the composite score is at or below the 13th percentile after the allowed retest, or an evaluation shows insufficient progress, the district shall require the parents to place the child in a public, independent or parochial school until the next testing period.Colo. Rev. Stat. § 22-33-104.5(2)(c), (3)(f), (5)
Graduation requirements: None set by the state
Colorado sets no graduation requirements for home-based programs. § 22-33-104.5(3)(d) lists subjects to be taught (reading, writing and speaking, mathematics, history, civics, literature, science and the U.S. Constitution) but sets no credits or courses for graduation.Colo. Rev. Stat. § 22-33-104.5(3)(d)
Diploma: Issued by: parent (home-based program) or the independent school
There is no state diploma, and district diplomas are presented only to students who attended a public high school in the district; the parent may graduate the student by issuing a diploma (CDE Homeschool FAQ). No state-recognized homeschool credential was found.Colorado Department of Education, Frequently Asked Questions about Home Schooling
Compulsory school ages: 6 to 17. Children who are 6 on or before August 1 and under 17 must attend unless exempt; for a home-based program, notice is not required until the child is 6, the program need not be established until the child is 7, and it need not be continued after the child is 16.Colo. Rev. Stat. § 22-33-104(1)(a); Colo. Rev. Stat. § 22-33-104.5(3)(e)

The legal options for homeschooling in Colorado

Nonpublic home-based educational programInstruction in the home by a parent or an adult relative designated by the parent, not under school district supervision, with annual notice to a Colorado school district, at least 172 days averaging four instructional contact hours a day, the required subjects, testing or evaluation in grades 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11, and permanent records. Basis: statuteColo. Rev. Stat. § 22-33-104.5; Colo. Rev. Stat. § 22-33-104(2)(i)(II)
Enrollment in an independent or parochial schoolA child enrolled for at least 172 days in an independent or parochial school that provides a basic academic education (including reading, writing, speaking, mathematics, history, civics, literature and science) is exempt from compulsory public school attendance; the school sets its own policies for students taught at home. Basis: statute (attendance exemption); home instruction under the school's supervision is an arrangement described by HSLDA, not a separate statutory programColo. Rev. Stat. § 22-33-104(2)(b)
Instruction at home by a licensed teacherA child instructed at home by a teacher licensed under article 60.5 or 61 of title 22 (who may be the parent) is exempt; the statute attaches no notice, testing or records conditions to this exemption. Basis: statuteColo. Rev. Stat. § 22-33-104(2)(i)(I)

What Colorado law means for your transcript

If the student enrolls in a public school, the district must accept the home-based program's transcripts for credit, but may reject them if its own testing does not verify their accuracy (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 22-33-104.5(4)).
The grade 9 and 11 test or evaluation results are part of the permanent records the law requires (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 22-33-104.5(3)(f), (3)(g)), so keep them with the transcript file.
Colorado defines no homeschool credit; listing the statutory subjects (§ 22-33-104.5(3)(d)) and using the 120-hour Carnegie unit is a convention, not a requirement.
There is no state diploma; the parent issues the diploma for a home-based program (CDE Homeschool FAQ).

Recent changes to Colorado homeschool law

SB26-023, the 2026 School Finance Act (signed May 28, 2026), added rules for public part-time programs that serve homeschool students from the 2026-27 school year; CDE says these programs may enroll only students whose notice of intent is on file with a Colorado district and who are not enrolled in an independent school, and may not fund private activities or purchases. The latest amendment to § 22-33-104.5 shown in the 2025 statutes is HB 24-1448 (a school finance cross-reference in subsection (6)(a)).

Build a transcript for a Colorado homeschool

The PDF prints this summary of Colorado law with its citations, alongside the transcript and the GPA workings. $29, once.

Build my transcript

What we could not confirm

These points could not be checked against the statute or regulation text, so treat them with care:

Colorado statutes were read on Justia's 2025 Colorado Revised Statutes; the official LexisNexis CRS was not opened.
SB26-023 details (the notice-of-intent requirement for part-time program enrollment and the ban on funding private activities) come from CDE's program page; the enrolled bill text was not read, and whether it amended § 22-33-104.5 itself was not confirmed.
No Colorado statute on homeschool applicants to public colleges or state aid was found; the Colorado Commission on Higher Education admissions policy (not a statute) could not be opened.
The search for other 2025 and 2026 Colorado bills affecting homeschooling was cut short by a search tool limit.

Sources

General information about Colorado law as of September 29, 2026, not legal advice. Laws change, so check the statute before you rely on it. Found an error? Email [email protected].