Colorado continues to lead the nation in offering families access to public school choice. For over two decades, the state’s open enrollment policies have enabled families to select the public schools that best meet their children’s needs, regardless of home address. Today, Colorado families can choose from a broad range of public education options, including open enrollment within and across districts, charter schools, magnet programs, online schools, and innovation schools. This report presents updated analyses and insights on Colorado’s open enrollment landscape as a follow-up to Ready Colorado’s 2018 Open Doors, Open Districts report. The report examines trends by enrollment type, geography, accountability ratings, and demographics to better understand who is accessing school choice and how.

In the 2024-25 school year, 39.4% of all PK-12 public school students — more than 347,000 children — are enrolled in a school other than their zoned neighborhood school.

Open Doors, Open Districts provided a peek into public school population trends in 2016-17; since then, the number of families choosing inter- and intra-district choice options has been increasing year over year. About 26%, or approximately 230,000 PK-12 students, are enrolled in a different district-run or charter school within their resident district from the one they are assigned, while 13%, or approximately 118,000 PK-12 students, are enrolled across district lines using open enrollment.

When charter and online choice are separated out from overall open enrollment calculations, charter school enrollment represents the second-highest share of PK-12 choice enrollment in the state.

Families across Colorado are proactively searching for schools that better align with their needs — whether through specialized programs, academic performance, or flexible models. Yet despite the success and popularity of school choice in Colorado, persistent barriers continue to limit equitable access. These include a lack of transportation, confusing or inaccessible information, cumbersome application and reapplication processes, and opaque seat availability reporting. Some school districts have developed innovative solutions to lower these barriers, but broader policy reforms are needed. At the state level, lawmakers have the opportunity to revise policies and create conditions that ensure all families — not just those with the time, knowledge, or resources — can take full advantage of Colorado’s school choice system.

Ready Colorado believes educational freedom means more than the right to choose — it means having the ability to make that choice. As participation in school choice remains high and stable, the state must work to remove systemic barriers and ensure every Colorado family can access the educational opportunities that best support their children’s success.