Colorado Officials Ordered Audits of Homeschool Programs
State and district leaders have launched financial audits of ERBOCES and Colorado Homeschool Enrichment after concerns arose.
Updated on Sept. 22, 2026 in Homeschooling
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Colorado officials and School District 49 have finalized an agreement to conduct specialized audits of ERBOCES and the Colorado Homeschool Enrichment program. These investigations follow concerns regarding the use of millions of dollars in state funding during recent years.
Why it matters
The audits address significant state oversight questions after reports of large-scale spending, including loans and recruitment payments. Families utilizing state-funded enrichment programs now face a total cessation of operations for the upcoming school year.
The audits will examine the finances of ERBOCES, which operated for 13 years and previously issued a $3 million loan to a Woodland Park charter school. Colorado Homeschool Enrichment, which utilized 430 contractors for nearly 2,800 students, will not operate in the 2026-2027 school year.
The players
Colorado Department of Education
The state agency responsible for overseeing public school funding and academic standards in Colorado.
School District 49
A local education authority that finalized the agreement to dissolve the ERBOCES cooperative.
ERBOCES
An educational cooperative that operated for 13 years before its dissolution in 2026.
Hoelting & Company
An accounting firm based in Colorado Springs that may conduct the financial audits.
The details
The finalized agreement mandates a specialized audit to assess the finances and assets of ERBOCES, which is currently dissolving. A forensic audit will also specifically scrutinize the funding and expenditure records of Colorado Homeschool Enrichment for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. These investigations will be funded directly by remaining reserves held by the cooperative, with Hoelting & Company potentially overseeing the ERBOCES review.
Timeline
2024-2026: Colorado Homeschool Enrichment utilized state funding.
August 2026: School District 49 voted to dissolve ERBOCES.
September 21, 2026: State and district officials finalized the audit agreement.
The Home Front
This development marks a tightening of fiscal oversight for auxiliary education programs operating within Colorado. It follows a trend of increasing regulatory scrutiny regarding how state education dollars are dispersed to third-party enrichment providers.
Families previously enrolled in Colorado Homeschool Enrichment should immediately seek alternative educational arrangements for the 2026-2027 school year, as the program has ceased operations. You should also monitor official communications from your local school district regarding potential transitions for students displaced by these closures.
The takeaway
The dissolution of these programs signals an end to a specific funding model that operated in the state for over a decade. Affected parents should retain all receipts and records related to their child's prior enrollment and enrichment participation for their personal family files.
Further reading
Find more guidance on navigating regional education shifts at the Colorado homeschooling section.
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