How to Become a Principal in Colorado

Colorado principal requirements, step by step

Initial Principal License (advancing to Professional Principal License). Each requirement is stated as Colorado Department of Education — Educator Licensing publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Hold a bachelor’s or higher degree and complete a Colorado-approved principal program

   CDE’s initial principal checklist requires an earned bachelor’s or higher degree from a regionally accredited college or university and completion of a Colorado-approved program for the preparation of school principals. The program verifies completion on CDE’s approved program verification (APV) form.

   Source: ed.cde.state.co.us

2. 2

   Document three or more years of fully licensed school experience

   Show three or more years of experience as a fully licensed teacher or special services provider in an elementary or secondary school. CDE’s requirements page also accepts three years of like experience in a non-public school.

   Source: ed.cde.state.co.us/checklist-initialprincipal · ed.cde.state.co.us/educatortalentprincipalrequirements

3. 3

   Pass Praxis 5412 with a score of 146

   Submit a Praxis Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision (5412) score report showing 146. CDE’s out-of-state page states the score as 146 or higher.

   Source: ed.cde.state.co.us/checklist-initialprincipal · ed.cde.state.co.us/OOSreqs

4. 4

   Complete E-Train evaluator training

   Principal applicants on or after August 1, 2024 must hold a certificate of completion of E-Train evaluator training. CDE waives the separate certificate only when the APV form shows the training was completed inside the preparation program.

   Source: ed.cde.state.co.us

5. 5

   Submit CBI fingerprints and apply within 30 days

   Submit fingerprints to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for CDE licensure. You have 30 days from the time CDE receives the background check to apply. The base fee is $90, and the initial license expires three years from the date of issue.

   Source: ed.cde.state.co.us

6. 6

   Finish a Colorado induction program to advance to the Professional license

   To advance, submit the certificate verifying completion of a Colorado induction program specific to the principal license, plus the E-Train certificate. The Professional Principal License is valid seven years from the date of issue.

   Source: ed.cde.state.co.us

Colorado sets its degree floor lower than most states. CDE’s initial principal checklist asks for an earned bachelor’s or higher degree plus completion of a Colorado-approved principal preparation program, verified on CDE’s approved program verification (APV) form. Nowhere does the checklist require a master’s degree as a separate licensure condition. Whether a given preparation program is itself graduate-level is the program’s decision, not a CDE licensure rule, so read the program’s admission page rather than assuming a master’s is or is not attached.

The experience clock is three or more years as a fully licensed teacher or a fully licensed special services provider in an elementary or secondary school. CDE’s requirements page also counts three years of like experience in a non-public school. The word “licensed” carries weight: years worked on a credential that was not a full license are a question to put to CDE before applying. The exam is a single Praxis test, Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision (5412), at 146. E-Train evaluator training has been required for every new and renewing principal applicant since August 1, 2024, and CDE states that the credential cannot be issued or renewed without that certificate unless the APV form shows it was done in the program.

Colorado’s licenses come in three tiers. A Principal Authorization (three years, $90) lets a district employ someone as principal or assistant principal while they complete a Colorado-approved alternative program or a CDE-approved individualized plan; it is district-specific and cannot be renewed. The Initial Principal License lasts three years. Completing a Colorado induction program specific to the principal license advances it to the Professional Principal License, valid seven years. Renewing the Professional license takes 90 contact hours (six semester hours) inside the seven-year window, with at least 10 of those hours on students with disabilities. Colorado’s row in the cross-state principal comparison lines these requirements up against other states, and the M.Ed., EdS, and EdD guide explains why a degree title is not the license.

Colorado principal requirements at a glance

Required exams and fees

Colorado uses Praxis Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision (5412). Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (as of October 2026).

Institutions with educational leadership programs

The table lists educational leadership CIP codes and award levels from IPEDS. This extract reported no completion counts, so none are shown. An award conferred does not mean the program is approved to recommend candidates for Initial Principal License (advancing to Professional Principal License). Verify approval with Colorado Department of Education — Educator Licensing.

Moving an administrator credential to Colorado

Applicants prepared outside Colorado submit an approved program verification form from the preparing institution, Praxis 5412 (146 or higher), and the E-Train certificate. Colorado recognizes the out-of-state program only if the applicant holds or qualifies to hold the matching license in the state of preparation. An interim authorization may be issued while the exam or E-Train requirement is still open.

Official Colorado reciprocity guidance