At its August meeting, the State Board of Education approved an emergency transfer of four ERBOCES multi-district online schools to District 49 for the 2026-27 school year, after ERBOCES was dissolved. The move keeps 4,707 enrolled students in place, with their teachers, administrators and support staff remaining as they are. Each school must now apply through the state's regular process to find a permanent authorizer for 2027-28. The board also reviewed 52 applications for part-time homeschool programs under Senate Bill 26-023. Three were approved, one was partially approved, and 44 were denied to ERBOCES, which may reapply if they identify new authorizers by September 4.
The Colorado State Board of Education voted 7-2 to send MESA K-8 School's charter application back to Jeffco Public Schools for reconsideration, and voted 6-3 to deny Koson Schools' appeal over a proposed STEM High School in Littleton. The board also proposed two alternative draft rules for part-time homeschool programs. Option A would require a local education provider to operate the program directly, while Option B would also allow a private nonprofit to run it, with added safeguards. Proposed finance rules would raise the minimum instructional hours for part-time funding from 90 to 180. Written feedback is accepted on CDE's website, and the homeschool rules must be in place by the end of 2026.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear arguments in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, a case over whether Colorado can exclude Catholic preschools from its universal preschool program, which offers 15 hours of free instruction each week. Colorado says the schools cannot participate because of a nondiscrimination clause barring them from turning away children of same-sex couples or based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The Archdiocese of Denver, which oversees more than 30 preschools, challenged the exclusion, and its supporters say Catholic families pay "thousands of dollars out of pocket" for parish preschools. A ruling could come any time after oral arguments until the court's term ends in late June.
On Monday, Oct. 19, Gov. Jared Polis announced that nonprofit scholarship granting organizations (SGOs) can now apply to join Colorado's eligibility list for the new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit. The nonrefundable credit lets Americans donate up to
,700 of their federal tax liability to eligible SGOs that help students with learning opportunities such as tutoring and transportation. Applications are due by Nov. 30 and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The credit takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, and Colorado plans to submit its list to the Treasury by Dec. 31. Public school students have been confirmed to qualify, and organizations with pending 501(c)(3) status may still apply.
Colorado Department of Education · Fri, Oct 16, 2026
The State Board of Education voted 5-4 in October to send the application for Pueblo School for the Arts and Sciences charter school back to the Pueblo School District 60 board for reconsideration. The school, which has operated since 2021 as a contract school of ERBOCES, applied to Pueblo 60 after that cooperative dissolved in August. The local board had denied the application, citing the school's location outside district borders,
.8 million in debt, questions about its financial viability and its capacity to serve students with disabilities. The local board must now re-evaluate the application and decide again. If it does not approve, the school can appeal to the state board a second time. The state board also held hearings on proposed rules for part-time homeschool programs but has not yet voted on them.
ACE Scholarships, a Colorado-based nonprofit that uses private donations to help low-income students attend private schools, announced it will expand to all 50 states and will also serve students in public schools, charter schools and homeschooling programs. The group is preparing for the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit program, which begins Jan. 1 and lets donors receive a tax credit for gifts to scholarship granting organizations. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democratic candidate for governor, opposes the state's participation and calls the program a "de facto voucher program," a concern shared by some public school advocates and Democrats. ACE president Jason DiFraia says the program opens more choices for families and is "not a federal government handout." Families interested in the program can look to ACE's platform for scholarships.
Colorado's State Board of Education will meet Thursday to discuss permanent rules for publicly funded homeschool enrichment programs, following a summer in which state officials approved only 14 of 54 applicants. Proposed rules would bar funding for items such as ski lessons, private piano lessons and lacrosse fees, end the use of loaded debit cards, limit fee-based field trips to two per semester, and cap part-time programs at 16 class hours a week. A second proposal would cut the per-hour rate. Families can submit written comments through the state's online form, or sign up by noon Tuesday, Oct. 13, to speak at the board's Oct. 15 meeting. The board plans a final vote this fall.
Colorado public school groups, including the Colorado Public Schools Foundation, the Denver Public Schools Foundation and RESCHOOL, are creating nonprofits to act as scholarship-granting organizations under a federal tax-credit program. Taxpayers are reimbursed up to
,700 for donations to these groups, which then fund educational expenses such as tutoring or SAT prep. Supporters see potential for public schools, while Democratic gubernatorial nominee Phil Weiser has called himself a "firm no" on the program, and Michael Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute predicts most money will flow to private schools. Colorado has until December to vet participating organizations and submit a list to the federal government.
Colorado is locked into the federal tax credit scholarship program for at least a year, according to new federal rules from the U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS, even if the next governor opposes it. Gov. Jared Polis enrolled the state earlier this year, while critics, including public school advocates, worry the program could lead to a voucher system. Under the program, taxpayers can receive a federal tax credit of up to
,700 ($3,400 for two-income households) for donations to scholarship granting organizations, which will fund scholarships for students at public and private schools. The program is on track to start in January. Attorney General Phil Weiser, the Democratic candidate for governor, opposes it, while Republican Victor Marx supports it.
Nine new public charter schools are opening in Colorado this fall, with help from the Colorado League of Charter Schools and Great Schools Colorado, a $68+ million federal Charter Schools Program grant the League administers. The League helps new and expanding schools through the authorization process, whether with a home school district or the Colorado Charter School Institute, and offers hands-on development services. Great Schools Colorado has supported 27 schools so far. One example is James Irwin Elementary in Colorado Springs, which opened in fall 2024 with a
.44 million grant. Families and founders thinking about starting or growing a school can look ahead to Grant Cycle 3, expected to open in early 2027.
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