Colorado Homeschool Age Requirements: When to Start and What Each Grade Needs

Most Colorado families get confused by one thing right away: the compulsory age says 6, but formal instruction doesn't actually have to start until 7. There's a gap there — and understanding it saves you a lot of unnecessary stress.

Here's the full picture on age requirements, when the Notice of Intent clock starts, what grades trigger testing, and what you need at each stage.

Compulsory School Age in Colorado

Under CRS §22-33-104.5, Colorado's compulsory education law applies to children aged 6 through 17. The cutoff date is August 1 — if your child turns 6 before August 1, they're compulsory age for that school year.

But there's an important nuance: you must file a Notice of Intent (NOI) with a Colorado school district of your choosing once your child reaches compulsory age. However, you don't have to begin formal instruction until your child turns 7.

In practice, this means:

• A 6-year-old: file the NOI, but structured curriculum isn't yet required
• A 7-year-old and up: the 172-day, 4-hour-per-day instruction requirement kicks in
• At 16: the NOI requirement ceases (the child is no longer compulsory-age)
• At 17: fully outside compulsory attendance laws

What About Kindergarten?

Colorado doesn't require kindergarten — public or homeschool. If your child turns 5 before August 1, they're kindergarten-eligible but not compulsory age. You can start formal homeschooling, but you're not legally obligated to. Many Colorado families use this year as a relaxed pre-K phase before filing the NOI at age 6.

If you want to formally start at kindergarten age, there's nothing stopping you — just be aware that the testing and documentation requirements under state law don't apply until compulsory age begins.

Elementary and Middle School: What's Actually Required

Colorado homeschool law doesn't differentiate its requirements by grade the way some states do. The same core rules apply whether your child is in first grade or eighth:

• 172 days of instruction per year
• Average 4 hours per day (688 hours/year)
• Required subjects: communication skills, math, history, civics, literature, science, and the US Constitution
• Annual Notice of Intent filed with your district

There is no curriculum approval process in Colorado. You choose the curriculum. The district does not review or approve your choices. This applies equally to elementary (grades K–5) and middle school (grades 6–8).

The one area where grade level matters is testing.

Testing by Grade: The 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 Schedule

Colorado requires homeschooled students to have academic progress evaluated at grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. You choose either a nationally standardized achievement test or an evaluation by a qualified person; the district does not select the assessment.

Acceptable tests include nationally normed options like the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), CAT, Stanford Achievement Test, and others. Testing typically costs $35–$47 per test depending on the provider.

The threshold you need to know applies when you choose standardized testing: 13th percentile. If your child scores above the threshold, submit the result to the school district where you filed the NOI and keep it in your permanent records.

If a score comes in at or below the 13th percentile, Colorado law provides a structured response process (not immediate penalties). See the compliance post for full details on what happens next.

Key dates: You must test during the grade year when the child is at that grade level. There's no strict window specified — families typically test in spring, but nothing prevents fall or winter testing.

Transitioning Grade Levels: No State-Set Promotion Rules

Colorado doesn't specify when a child moves from elementary to middle school or middle to high school in homeschool settings. You determine grade placement. Most families use age-appropriate grade levels (6–8 as middle, 9–12 as high school), but you're not bound to it.

This flexibility matters for families homeschooling children who are ahead or behind in specific subjects — you can work at subject-level pace rather than grade-level pace.

When re-enrolling in public school later, districts may administer placement tests. Keep your records current so grade assignments can be documented if needed.

What You Should Document at Each Stage

Good records protect you at every grade level. At minimum, track:

• Date of birth and grade level assignment
• NOI filing confirmation (date, method)
• Subject logs showing instruction in all seven required areas
• Assessment records at each required grade (test or evaluation, date, and result)
• Curriculum or materials used

Colorado requires the test or evaluation result to be submitted to the district where you filed the NOI; keep the rest of your permanent records so you can produce them if the district requests them.

The Colorado Portfolio & Assessment Templates give you a pre-built structure to track all of this by grade — including testing documentation that's already formatted for the required subjects and annual log requirements.

Quick Reference: Colorado Homeschool Age and Grade Milestones

Colorado's structure gives families real flexibility — you're not locked into a curriculum, a grade calendar, or state-administered testing. But the testing milestones and documentation expectations apply at specific grade levels, so building your record-keeping system before you need it is the move that makes each of those checkpoints straightforward.

See more Colorado guides →