Colorado Springs Homeschool: Groups, Districts, and Military Family Resources

Colorado Springs has the second-largest homeschool population in Colorado, and the community here looks different from Denver. Military families make up a significant share — Fort Carson, Peterson SFB, Schriever SFB, and the US Air Force Academy are all within El Paso County. Religious and classical education is a stronger presence than in the Denver metro. And the three major school districts — D11, D20, and D49 — have meaningfully different postures toward homeschooling.

Which District Do You File With?

Your homeschool Notice of Intent goes to the school district where you reside, not where you prefer to file. El Paso County is divided among several districts:

• District 11 (Colorado Springs School District): Covers most of the central city
• District 20 (Academy School District): Covers the north Colorado Springs area — Briargate, Northgate, and surrounding communities
• District 49 (Falcon School District): Covers the eastern plains, Falcon, Peyton, and the rapidly growing eastern corridor of El Paso County

Your address determines your district. Filing with the wrong district is a common mistake for families new to the area — verify your boundary at the district's website before submitting your NOI.

District 11 (Colorado Springs SD)

District 11 has a hands-off posture similar to Denver Public Schools. You file the NOI, and the district does not maintain an active enrichment program specifically for homeschoolers. D11 has experienced declining enrollment, which has accelerated homeschool growth in its boundaries — many families who left during and after 2020 did not return.

D11's homeschool population is served primarily by independent co-ops and community groups rather than district-run resources. If you are in D11 boundaries, connect with the broader Colorado Springs homeschool network rather than looking to the district for support.

District 20 (Academy School District)

District 20 is the most structured of the three for homeschoolers. The district operates a homeschool enrichment academy that offers part-time enrollment, elective courses, extracurricular access, and some resource sharing for homeschool families within D20 boundaries.

D20's academy model is popular with families who want a hybrid approach — primarily home-based instruction with access to select classes, sports, and activities. Enrollment is limited and demand often exceeds capacity. Contact D20 directly in late winter or early spring for enrollment windows.

D20 covers the Briargate area and much of northern Colorado Springs, which is also one of the more affluent areas of the city. The district's enrichment offering reflects a culture of active parent engagement with the school system.

District 49 (Falcon School District) and the Falcon Homeschool Program

D49 operates the Falcon Homeschool Program, the most developed district-based homeschool program in El Paso County. The program provides:

• Curriculum resource access
• Part-time enrollment in district classes
• Extracurricular eligibility (sports, activities)
• Annual assessment support

D49's Falcon Homeschool Program is one of the better-funded and more intentionally designed district homeschool programs in Colorado. Families in the Falcon and Peyton areas — and in the fast-growing eastern El Paso County communities — use it as a primary framework or as a supplement to their independent program.

The program typically requires an annual enrollment process. Spots are allocated and the program can fill. If D49 is your district and you want to use the Falcon program, make contact early in the spring.

Colorado Springs Homeschool Groups and Co-ops

Colorado Springs has a robust co-op ecosystem, with religious and classical groups being especially well-established:

Classical and Christian:

• Classical Conversations has multiple active communities in the Colorado Springs area — the CC website lists current campuses by zip code
• Credo Homeschool Community serves Christian families with classical emphasis
• Several church-based co-ops operate in the D20 and D49 areas; many do not advertise publicly and are found through word of mouth

Secular and inclusive:

• Homeschool Colorado Springs — a Facebook group with active membership; event calendar, buy/sell/share, and local resource referrals
• PEAK Homeschoolers — Colorado Springs-area group with a mix of approaches; more secular-leaning than classical groups

Subject-specific:

• Pikes Peak State College concurrent enrollment is the primary college credit pathway for high school students in the Colorado Springs area
• El Paso County 4-H has homeschool-friendly participation in agriculture, STEM, and project-based learning clubs

Military Families

Fort Carson, Peterson SFB, Schriever SFB, and the USAFA grounds make Colorado Springs one of the highest-density military communities in the country. Military families choose homeschooling in El Paso County at higher rates than the national average, partly because PCS moves disrupt traditional school trajectories and homeschooling provides continuity.

For military families:

• NOI in Colorado is transferable between moves within the state — if you relocate from Fort Carson to Peterson area, you re-file with the new resident district but do not restart your program
• If you are planning a USAFA application, start building your file in 10th grade — Congressional nomination timelines require early attention
• Military families who PCS out of Colorado should request copies of all evaluation records before moving — state-to-state records transfers for homeschoolers are informal, and you want paper copies

Colorado Springs is also a hub for families considering USAFA. High school juniors and seniors in the area who are targeting the Academy should be building transcripts with four years of core academics, documented community leadership, and competitive SAT/ACT scores — the Academy does not use test-optional review.

Documentation in El Paso County

Regardless of which district you file with, Colorado's documentation requirements are uniform: 172 instruction days, 4 hours per day average, covering communication skills, math, history, civics, literature, science, and the US Constitution. Annual assessment at grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 via standardized test or qualified person portfolio evaluation.

Pikes Peak State College concurrent enrollment requires a current NOI and organized high school coursework records before the PPA process can begin. If your records are informal — notes in a planner, completed workbook pages in a bin — converting them to a structured portfolio and transcript before 11th grade will make concurrent enrollment and college applications significantly smoother.

The Colorado Portfolio & Assessment Templates are designed for exactly this: organizing what you already have into a format that works for D20's enrichment academy, PPSC's concurrent enrollment intake, and Colorado university admissions.

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