Home Schooling
Getting Started-Letter of Intent to Home School
Pursuant to Colorado law, parents who wish to begin home schooling must provide written notification of the establishment of the home school program 14 days before beginning the home school program to a Colorado school district. Please print and fill out the notification form for each child that will be participating in the home school program. This notification form must be re-submitted to the school district each year. Parents may alternatively provide a "Letter of Intent" that includes the name, age, place of residence, and number of attendance hours for each child that will be participating in the home school program. Written notification must be re-submitted to a Colorado school district each year.
Please submit an electronic OR hard copy of your Notification of Established Home Study Form to the Student Support Services department:
Subjects to Teach
Colorado law states that home school programs must include, but are not limited to, the subjects of communication skills of reading, writing, and speaking, mathematics, history, civics, literature, science, and regular courses of instruction in the constitution of the United States. The selection of curriculum is at the discretion of the parent who is overseeing the home schooling program. The state cannot offer any guidance in this area, and encourages contacting the district that received the written notification if there are further questions.
Attendance Requirements
Home school programs must have no less than 172 days of instruction, averaging 4 contact hours per day.
Record Keeping
Records for each child participating in a home school program must be kept on a permanent basis by the parent who is overseeing the home school program. The records must include, but are not limited to, attendance, test and evaluation results, and immunization records as required by C.R.S sections 25-4-901, 25-4-902, and 25-4-903. The records must be produced and provided at the school district’s request.
Assessment/Evaluation
Students that are participating in a home school program must have academic progress evaluated in grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. Students can take a nationally standardized achievement test or a qualified person, as described in C.R.S. 22-33-104.5(3)(f), can be selected by the parent to evaluate the student’s academic progress. The results of the evaluation, whether by assessment or qualified person, must be submitted at the school district’s request.
The school district is not required to evaluate home school students. This is the responsibility of the parents. However, the district can provide guidance regarding assessments or evaluation. Please contact your local school district for resources or specific deadlines for submitting evaluation results.
Other Things to Know About Home School
Home school is considered nonpublic and is not regulated by the state of Colorado. The parent who oversees the home school program is taking on the responsibility of obtaining books, supplies, tests, and is responsible for any costs associated. Because home schooling is considered nonpublic education, home school is not accredited by the Colorado Department of Education or by Durango School District.
Shared Schooling
Durango School District 9-R offers a Shared School Program. The shared school program is designed for home school families and offers such classes as art, music, drama computer, PE and Spanish. For information regarding Shared School, click here to visit our Shared School page.
Additional Resources
The links below include a copy of Colorado Home School Law, how to get started home schooling your child, and a resources link to home school organizations that provide information on networking, support groups, curricula, and testing.
- FAQs Regarding Home School
- Laws Pertaining to Home School
- Home School Resources
- Home Schooling Section of the Colorado Department of Education website.