Colorado’s Board of Education discussed potential new rules on the eligibility and requirements for certified homeschool programs during its regular meeting last week. The new rules and conditions became required through this year’s School Finance Act, passed by the state legislature.

Board members were presented with two options by representatives with the Colorado Department of Education. Both would require all certified homeschool programs, formerly known as “homeschool enrichment programs,” to be operated through a school district, charter school or board of cooperative educational services, referred to as local education providers (LEP).

They would also require that they adhere to the upcoming rules adopted by the state and LEP boards and that each student file a notice of intent to homeschool.

Where the two options differed were the role of private contractors. One would have a program’s LEP oversee its enrollment, finances, curriculum alignment, facilities and state compliance while the other would permit a contractor to do this work.

Presenters said that the former would ensure stronger oversight and tighter alignment with other publicly funded schools, while the latter would offer greater flexibility for existing program models.

The board will hold a public hearing on the rules in October. While it could technically vote on the rules then, it plans to vote on them in November or December.

Regardless of how the board ultimately votes, all incoming programs will be barred from funding, reimbursing or subsidizing a private activity or private purchases for students and families. They also will be unable to enroll students who fulfill their school attendance requirements through an independent or parochial school.

These provisions were adopted earlier this year by the legislature after lawmakers learned about new homeschool programs enrolling private school students and utilizing tax dollars for activities and lessons considered outside the realm of public education. This has included jiu jitsu lessons, ski passes and personal purchases.

Following the new requirements, many existing homeschool programs that previously received state funding have either adjusted or postponed their operations. The Colorado Agribusiness and Equine Sciences Academy, based in Denver, has moved to a private-pay enrollment model for the 2026-27 school year, while Colorado Springs’ Renaissance Innovation Academy’s website is labeled as “under construction” at the time of this writing.

A prominent program, Colorado Homeschool Enrichment based in New Castle, recently announced that it will not operate for the current school year.

The new rules that have yet to be finalized by the state, and the uncertainty they have created, led to the decision, the program’s CEO Renee Miller said in a letter to families.

“We remain hopeful about what may come next. As the new rules become clear, we will keep exploring a path forward. If we are able to relaunch and open enrollment this spring, we hope you will consider joining us again,” Miller wrote.

A fiscal note for this year’s School Finance Act estimated that these adjustments will save about $21 million in the 2026-27 fiscal year and about $30 million the following year, subject to change.

While asking various questions of the presenters, board members primarily emphasized the need for an accountability process for the homeschool programs, greater transparency in who’s receiving public dollars and what a potential audit procedure might look like for these programs.

Another concern raised was maintaining educational parity between students enrolled in public schools and part-time-enrolled homeschool students. Some long-established homeschool programs, for example, have offered aviation coursework that might be viable at some, but not all, public high schools across the state.

Board Chairperson Rebecca McClellan noted that, because programming like this can be cost-prohibitive to families, they may unwittingly remove some students from public schools into subsidized programs.

The board will vote to move the decision to finalize these rules during their October regular meeting. In the meantime, they intend to solicit feedback from the public and stakeholders while the options undergo further refinement.