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Withdrawing from school to homeschool in Colorado

How to take your child out of school to homeschool in Colorado, step by step: what to file first, what to tell the school, and a letter to print.

This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page. Laws change, and Colorado's own statute and education department are the final word. The links below go straight to them.

Deadlines, forms and amounts checked on against the sources linked on this page.

Step by step

  1. Before your child's last day, do what Colorado asks of a new homeschool. At least 14 days before you start: Send written notice to a school district in Colorado that you are setting up a home-based education program. Fill in the Colorado letter of intent.Source: Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 22 (General Assembly): sections 22-33-104 and 22-33-104.5
  2. Tell the school. We did not find a Colorado rule on how to tell the school. A short dated letter, with a copy kept, gives you a record of the day your child left.
  3. Ask for your child's records (report cards, test results, any evaluations or plans) so you know where your child stands. Good practice, not a legal step.
  4. If your child has an IEP or a 504 plan, ask the district before you leave what, if anything, it offers homeschooled students, and get a copy of the plan. Good practice, not a legal step.
  5. Keep copies of everything you send and anything you get back, with the dates. Good practice, not a legal step.
  6. Start your records on day one. The parent keeps each child's records permanently, including attendance data, test and evaluation results, and immunization records. The records must be produced to the school district that received your notice on 14 days' written notice if the superintendent has probable cause to believe the program is not in compliance.Source: Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 22 (General Assembly): sections 22-33-104 and 22-33-104.5

What Colorado's law or education agency says about leaving school

A child who joins a public school after home-based education may be tested by the district for grade placement and is placed at the grade level the district deems most appropriate, with the parent's consent. The district accepts the program's transcripts for credit but may reject them if its testing does not verify them.Source: Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 22 (General Assembly): sections 22-33-104 and 22-33-104.5

A letter to the school

Fill this in and print it. It tells the school your child is leaving to be taught at home and asks for the records. It is not the state's notice; that is the letter of intent.

For example a copy of your notice, or the acknowledgement the state sent you.

Nothing you type here is saved or sent.

Your letter

________________

To: ________________

I am withdrawing ________________ from your school. My child will be educated at home under the law of Colorado.

Please send me a copy of my child's school records.

Thank you.

SignatureDate
Keep a copy with the date you handed it in or mailed it.

Where this comes from

Checked on October 29, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Laws and forms change; confirm a date with your school district or the state agency before you rely on it. For legal advice, ask a lawyer licensed in Colorado; homeschool legal-help organizations and your state's homeschool groups can also point you to help. Something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.