A Montana Field Guide · Updated for 2026

How to start homeschooling in Montana.

A clear, practical guide for families ready to bring learning home - written for the way Montana actually does it. One notice a year to your county superintendent. 720 or 1,080 hours of instruction. Full parental authority over everything else. Everything you need to begin with confidence, in plain language and without the noise.

The Path · Getting Started

Five steps from big-sky idea to a working home school.

№ 01
01

Find your county superintendent.

Montana routes homeschooling through the county, not the school district - every county has a superintendent of schools (often in the courthouse) who receives home school notifications under Mont. Code Ann. § 20-5-109. Look yours up before you start; many counties offer a simple one-page notification form, though a short letter satisfies the statute just as well.

How to connect
  • Locate the county superintendent for the county where you live
  • Ask whether they have a preferred notification form
  • Note their mailing address or email for your annual filing
  • Compulsory attendance runs from age 7 to the later of 16 or 8th-grade completion
02

File your annual notification.

Each school fiscal year (July 1 - June 30), notify the county superintendent that your student is attending your home school. That single sentence is the entire statutory ask - no deadline date, no prescribed form, no approval step. File at the start of each school year, keep a dated copy, and you're done with the government until next year.

Your notification covers
  • That your student is attending your home school this school year
  • The student's name (county forms typically add age/grade & address)
  • Nothing else - no curriculum, plans, or qualifications
  • Refile once each school fiscal year you continue
03

Build an organized course of study.

The statute asks for 'an organized course of study' covering the subjects required of public schools as a basic instructional program - in practice, English language arts, math, science, social studies, health enhancement, the arts, and vocational or practical arts. Under § 20-5-111, you alone choose the philosophy, curriculum, methods, and how to evaluate progress.

Useful starting points
  • Montana content standards (as optional benchmarks only)
  • MTCHE's getting-started resources and convention
  • Local co-ops, 4-H, library & museum programs
  • Curriculum review sites like Cathy Duffy
04

Track hours and attendance.

Montana's instructional minimums are aggregate hours per school year: 720 for grades 1-3 and 1,080 for grades 4-12. Keep attendance records - the one record the statute requires of home schools - and make them available to the county superintendent if ever requested. A simple weekly tally sheet handles both jobs at once.

Keep on file
  • An attendance log for each student
  • A running hours tally toward 720 / 1,080
  • Copies of each year's notification
  • Sample work and course notes (recommended)
05

Use the open doors: sports, then graduation.

Montana treats homeschoolers generously once the basics are met. Under § 20-5-112, your resident district and the MHSA cannot bench a compliant home school student over enrollment status - same tryouts, same standards as enrolled athletes. And when high school wraps, you issue the diploma: set your requirements early and keep the transcript as you go.

Plan ahead for
  • Tryouts and physicals through your resident district school
  • A transcript and credit plan from 9th grade on
  • Dual enrollment at Montana colleges
  • A parent-issued diploma backed by your records
The Law · Montana

One straight trail - marked by statute

№ 02

Homeschooling is expressly legal under Mont. Code Ann. § 20-5-109, which exempts home school students from compulsory enrollment when the family files an annual notification with the county superintendent, keeps attendance records, meets the aggregate hours of § 20-1-301, and provides an organized course of study in the subjects public schools teach. Section 20-5-111 then hands every remaining decision - philosophy, curriculum, methods, evaluation - to the parent alone.

Option 01

Montana Home School

Best for every Montana homeschooling family - the statute's single route asks for four things and then stays out of your way.

  • Notify the county superintendent once each school fiscal year
  • Keep attendance records, available on request
  • Provide 720 hours (grades 1-3) or 1,080 hours (grades 4-12)
  • Teach an organized course of study spanning the public-school subject areas
  • Governed by Mont. Code Ann. § 20-5-109
Requirements · Curriculum

The subject areas behind 'an organized course of study.'

№ 03

Montana doesn't hand homeschoolers a checklist - it asks that your course of study include the subjects required of public schools as a basic instructional program (§ 20-7-111). These are the areas that program spans. How you teach them is yours alone: § 20-5-111 gives the parent sole authority over curriculum, methods, and evaluation.

01

English Language Arts

Reading, writing, grammar, and literature across grade levels.

02

Mathematics

Numeracy, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and applied reasoning.

03

Science

Inquiry and observation across life, physical, and earth sciences.

04

Social Studies

History, geography, government, and economics, near and far.

05

Health Enhancement

Health and physical education - mountain trails count as a gym.

06

Arts

Music, visual art, and drama - making and appreciating the beautiful.

07

Vocational & Practical Arts

Hands-on skills: shop, home economics, agriculture, and trades.

720
Hours, grades 1-3

The minimum aggregate hours of instruction per school fiscal year for younger students, per Mont. Code Ann. § 20-1-301.

1,080
Hours, grades 4-12

The minimum for grades 4 through 12 - about 6 hours a day across a traditional 180-day year, scheduled however you like.

1
Notice per year

One notification to your county superintendent each school fiscal year. No deadline date, no prescribed form, no approval.

0
Tests required

Montana mandates no standardized testing, no portfolio reviews, and no evaluations - assessment belongs to the parent.

Questions · Answered Honestly

Asked around Montana kitchen tables - answered plainly

№ 04
No. Montana sets no teacher qualifications, and Mont. Code Ann. § 20-5-111 goes further than most states by affirmatively vesting the parent with sole responsibility for the home school's educational philosophy, curriculum, methods, and evaluation. The state's role begins and ends with the four basics in § 20-5-109.
Yes. Notify the school in writing, send your home school notification to the county superintendent, and begin - there is no waiting period or approval step. For a partial year, keep your attendance log and hours tally from day one so your records show steady progress toward the aggregate-hours minimum for the time you homeschooled.
No. The county superintendent's role is to receive your annual notification - the statute gives them no authority to approve your program, review curriculum, or visit your home. Their one ongoing right is to request your attendance records, which is why a simple, current log is worth keeping.
Attendance records - that's the statutory list for home schools, kept at home and made available to the county superintendent on request. (A 2025 amendment moved the immunization-records and building-safety items to the nonpublic school subsection.) Most families add an hours tally toward the 720/1,080 minimums, a course-of-study log, and sample work; none of it is filed, but all of it serves you.
Yes. Since 2021, Mont. Code Ann. § 20-5-112 has barred school districts and the MHSA from restricting a compliant home school student's participation based on enrollment status or hours attended. Your student tries out at the resident-district school and meets the same standards as enrolled athletes - age, academics, physicals, conduct. A later amendment allows eligibility rules tied only to U.S. citizenship and Montana residency.
No. Montana requires no standardized testing, portfolio evaluations, or assessments of any kind for home school students - evaluation is expressly the parent's job under § 20-5-111. Many families still test privately every year or two for their own information, and college-bound teens will meet the ACT or SAT on the usual schedule.
Yes. Parents set graduation requirements and issue the diploma and transcript - OPI neither issues nor certifies homeschool credentials, and none are needed. A parent-issued diploma with a clear transcript is accepted by Montana's colleges and universities, employers, and the military; keep course and credit records through high school and the paperwork takes an afternoon.
Not currently for most families - and the picture is in flux. Montana's only ESA (HB 393, 2023) serves students with disabilities, and a December 2025 court ruling blocked the program over its funding mechanism, with enrolled families reimbursable through June 30, 2026 while appeals and the Legislature sort it out. There is no general homeschool funding; check the current status before counting on anything.
Resources · Montana

Trail markers for Montana homeschoolers

№ 05
Official - State

Montana Office of Public Instruction

OPI's home school page - the state's explanation of § 20-5-109, county superintendent contacts, and hours requirements.

Visit OPI
Community - Statewide

Montana Coalition of Home Educators (MTCHE)

Montana's statewide homeschool organization - law guidance, the annual convention, sports-access updates, and local group contacts.

Visit MTCHE
Legal - National

Home School Legal Defense Association

Plain-language summaries of Montana law, plus member legal help with notifications, records requests, or district questions.

Read the Law
The Montana Getting Started Kit

Everything from this guide, ready to use.

The Montana Getting Started Kit turns the law into paperwork you can actually file - five polished, print-ready documents built specifically for Montana's requirements, so your first year starts organized instead of overwhelming.

  • County Superintendent Notification template - a clean annual notice satisfying Mont. Code Ann. § 20-5-109(2), ready to send at the start of each school fiscal year, with a dated copy for your files.
  • Montana Compliance Checklist - the four statutory requirements as checkable items: annual notification, attendance records, 720/1,080 hours, and the organized course of study.
  • Attendance & Hours Log - a weekly tracker that doubles as your statutory attendance record and your tally toward the § 20-1-301 aggregate-hours minimums.
  • Weekly Planning Template - built around the public-school subject areas (ELA, math, science, social studies, health enhancement, arts, practical arts), with room for co-ops and field days.
  • First 30 Days Roadmap - a day-by-day action plan from decision to your first week of teaching.
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Arrowstead Academy

Insights, tools, and inspiration to help you cultivate wisdom, curiosity, and character at home.

Arrowstead Academy provides educational information, not legal advice. Homeschool law changes; verify current requirements with the Montana Office of Public Instruction and your county superintendent of schools, or consult an attorney. Statute citations reflect Montana law as of 2026.

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