Homeschooling in Montana: the law and how to start

Yes. Montana's compulsory enrollment law (MCA 20-5-102) excuses a child who is enrolled in a nonpublic school or a home school that meets the requirements of MCA 20-5-109. Home school means instruction by a parent of their own children.

Montana's homeschool rules are light. Your contact point is the elected county superintendent of schools for your county — not the local school district — and there is no approval process, curriculum review or testing.

Families can also enroll in a private school instead; the same nonpublic school requirements in MCA 20-5-109 apply to it.

• Notify your county superintendent of schools in the county where your homeschool is located. The law requires this once in each school fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) that your child is of compulsory age. Many county offices have a simple form on their website, and county guidance asks families to notify before the school year starts.
• Plan an organized course of study that covers the basic instructional program and meets the minimum hours.
• Start an attendance record for each child.

Withdrawing from public school: send your child's school a written notice that you are withdrawing them to homeschool, and notify your county superintendent at the same time. Keep copies and dates of both so your child isn't recorded as truant.

Your homeschool must provide an organized course of study that includes instruction in the subjects required of public schools as a basic instructional program (set out in MCA 20-7-111). You choose the materials and methods; there is no requirement to submit your curriculum.

You must also provide at least the minimum aggregate hours of instruction required of public schools under MCA 20-1-301: 720 hours a year for grades 1–3 and 1,080 hours a year for grades 4–12.

Montana does not require standardized testing, portfolio reviews or evaluations for homeschooled students.

You must keep attendance records and make them available to the county superintendent on request. They are not filed routinely.

Beyond what the law requires, it's sensible to keep a list of the materials you use, a log of hours, and some dated work samples. They make it much easier to show your hours if asked, to place your child if they return to school, and to build a high school transcript.

Montana's homeschool law does not set graduation requirements. As the parent running the homeschool, you decide when your teen has completed high school and prepare their diploma and transcript.

Record courses, credits and grades from grade 9 onward. Colleges and employers set their own requirements for homeschooled applicants, so check early with any college your teen is considering, including about dual-enrollment courses.

Extracurricular activities: a 2021 law (MCA 20-5-112) lets homeschooled students take part in extracurricular activities, including Montana High School Association (MHSA) sports, in the public school district where they live without attending classes there. They must meet the same participation standards as enrolled students. For homeschoolers, academic eligibility is attested in writing by the parent providing instruction and verified by the school principal, and the verification may not involve testing the student.

2025 change: a 2025 amendment, in effect for the 2025–26 school year, allows school districts and athletic associations to restrict homeschooled students' participation based on U.S. citizenship and state residency.

Part-time enrollment: since July 1, 2024, homeschooled students can enroll part-time in their resident school district. Contact the district to ask which classes are available.

Special education: if your child may have a disability, you can ask your local district to evaluate them and explain what services are available to homeschooled students.

Your county superintendent's office can answer questions about the notification process. Statewide, the Montana Coalition of Home Educators publishes information for new families, and many towns have local co-ops and support groups.

Montana does not offer a general state funding program for homeschoolers. A special needs education savings account program created in 2023 is limited to students with qualifying disabilities and has faced a court challenge, so check its current status with the Office of Public Instruction before planning around it.