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 can be filed with any Colorado school district, not necessarily the one where you reside. Your address still determines which district's neighborhood school, local programs, and activities apply. 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 which district's neighborhood school and local programs apply. If you choose a different district for the NOI, verify that district's process and any program or activity eligibility before submitting.

District 11 (Colorado Springs SD)

District 11 serves much of central Colorado Springs. For district-based resources or school activities, contact D11 directly; D11 families also use independent co-ops and community groups.

D11's homeschool population is served primarily by independent co-ops and community groups. If you are in D11 boundaries, connect with the broader Colorado Springs homeschool network and contact the district for current district-specific information.

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. Availability and enrollment windows can change, so contact D20 directly for current information.

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)
• 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 a 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:

• Colorado permits families to file an NOI with any school district. After an in-state move, confirm with the district you choose how it handles the existing filing and any local program eligibility
• 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, an average of 4 hours per day, and coverage of communication skills, math, history and civics, literature, science, and the US Constitution. Assessment is required in 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.

See more Colorado guides →