Romeschool

Montana homeschool requirements

To homeschool in Montana, file an annual Notice of Intent with your county superintendent, provide the required hours, and keep attendance records. No testing. Instruction is required from age 7 until the later of the child's 16th birthday or the completion of 8th grade (MCA § 20-5-102).

Last reviewed June 5, 2026 · corrected September 23, 2026 · Sources below

Minimal regulation Notice required Instruction time set
Another state:

Montana homeschool requirements at a glance

Notice
RequiredWhere it goes: County superintendent of schools. When: Once in each school fiscal year (Jul 1–Jun 30). MCA § 20-5-109(2)(a) names no date, so the practical due date is your county superintendent's: some counties name one (October 1 where a date is named), many only say 'each year'. Send it before your district's first day of school anyway — § 20-5-102(2) requires a child of compulsory age to be enrolled in the assigned public school within the first week of the school term unless the child is in a home school that meets § 20-5-109, and this notice is one of that section's conditions. Ask your county superintendent which form they want.
Required subjects
English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies/History, Health and Physical Education, Arts, Career and Technical Education
Instruction time
720–1,080 hours by grade720 hours/year for grades 1–3; 1,080 hours/year for grades 4–12. Maintain attendance records.
Testing or evaluation
NoNo state testing policy for homeschools; parents are solely responsible for evaluation.
Records
Yes — attendance
Parent qualifications
Not required
Compulsory attendance ages
7–16Both numbers are qualified by MCA § 20-5-102(1). A child counts as 7 only if the 7th birthday falls before the first day of school that school fiscal year, so a child who turns 7 after school starts is not covered until the next year. Instruction then runs until the later of the 16th birthday or the date the work of the 8th grade is completed — a 16-year-old who has not finished 8th grade is still covered.
Ways to homeschool
Independent (annual NOI to county superintendent)
Law
Mont. Code Ann. § 20-5-109; § 20-5-111
Official source
mca.legmt.gov ↗

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Montana?

Yes. Montana requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: County superintendent of schools. How: Written notification (no mandated form; a letter is acceptable; no notarization). When: Once in each school fiscal year (Jul 1–Jun 30). MCA § 20-5-109(2)(a) names no date, so the practical due date is your county superintendent's: some counties name one (October 1 where a date is named), many only say 'each year'. Send it before your district's first day of school anyway — § 20-5-102(2) requires a child of compulsory age to be enrolled in the assigned public school within the first week of the school term unless the child is in a home school that meets § 20-5-109, and this notice is one of that section's conditions. Ask your county superintendent which form they want. Parents have full discretion over philosophy, curriculum, materials, time, place, and method.

What subjects does Montana require homeschoolers to teach?

Montana requires instruction in English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies/History, Health and Physical Education, Arts, and Career and Technical Education. MCA § 20-5-109(2)(d) asks for an organized course of study covering the subjects required of public schools as a basic instructional program under § 20-7-111. Section 20-7-111 names no subjects itself — it leaves that program to the Board of Public Education's accreditation standards (ARM Title 10, chapter 55), whose program areas also include technology integration, computer science, world languages and library media. Nobody reviews or approves your course of study: under MCA § 20-5-111 the parent alone chooses the materials, curriculum, textbooks, time, place, method and evaluation.

How many days or hours of instruction does Montana require?

Montana's rule: 720 hours/year for grades 1–3; 1,080 hours/year for grades 4–12. Maintain attendance records.

Is standardized testing required to homeschool in Montana?

No. Montana does not require standardized testing for homeschooled students. No state testing policy for homeschools; parents are solely responsible for evaluation.

What records do I need to keep to homeschool in Montana?

Montana requires these records: attendance records. How long, or where they go: Available to the county superintendent on request. Attendance records are the only records a home school must keep, and they are shown to the county superintendent on request rather than submitted (MCA § 20-5-109(2)(b)). The immunization records many guides still list were removed for home schools by HB 778 (Ch. 724, L. 2025); that duty now sits in § 20-5-109(1)(a), which applies to nonpublic schools.

Do parents need a teaching certificate or other qualification to homeschool in Montana?

No. Montana does not set a general qualification for homeschooling parents.

What ages does Montana's compulsory attendance law cover?

Montana's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 7 to age 16. Both numbers are qualified by MCA § 20-5-102(1). A child counts as 7 only if the 7th birthday falls before the first day of school that school fiscal year, so a child who turns 7 after school starts is not covered until the next year. Instruction then runs until the later of the 16th birthday or the date the work of the 8th grade is completed — a 16-year-old who has not finished 8th grade is still covered.

What are the ways to homeschool in Montana?

In Montana, families homeschool under this pathway: independent (annual NOI to county superintendent).

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Montana, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. To homeschool in Montana, file an annual Notice of Intent with your county superintendent, provide the required hours, and keep attendance records. No testing. Instruction is required from age 7 until the later of the child's 16th birthday or the completion of 8th grade (MCA § 20-5-102).

How to get started in Montana

1
Notify your county superintendent each year
Send written notice to your county superintendent of schools once in each school fiscal year (July 1–June 30). No form is mandated and nothing needs notarizing — a letter is acceptable — but ask your county superintendent which form they want. MCA § 20-5-109(2)(a) names no date, so the practical due date is your county superintendent's: some counties name one (October 1 where a date is named), while many only say that a notice is due each year. Send it before your district's first day of school anyway — § 20-5-102(2) requires a child of compulsory age to be enrolled in the assigned public school within the first week of the school term unless the child is in a home school that meets § 20-5-109, and this notice is one of that section's conditions. Instruction is required from age 7, and Montana counts a child as 7 only if the 7th birthday falls before the first day of school that school fiscal year, so a child who turns 7 after school starts is not covered until the next year. Instruction then runs until the later of the 16th birthday or the date the work of the 8th grade is completed, so a 16-year-old who has not finished 8th grade is still covered.
Official resource (mca.legmt.gov) →
2
Provide the required hours
At least 720 hours of instruction a year for grades 1–3, and at least 1,080 hours a year for grades 4–12. You choose the time, place, and method of instruction.
3
Teach the required subjects
Montana asks for an organized course of study covering the subjects its public schools teach as their basic instructional program: English/language arts, math, science, social studies/history, health and physical education, the arts, and career and technical education. The Board of Public Education's accreditation standards, which set that program, also name technology integration, computer science, world languages, and library media. Nobody reviews or approves your course of study — you choose the curriculum, textbooks, and materials, and how you evaluate your child.
Official resource (mca.legmt.gov) →
4
Keep attendance records
Attendance records are the only records Montana requires a home school to keep, and you show them to the county superintendent on request rather than sending them in. Immunization records were removed for home schools by HB 778 in 2025 — that duty now sits with nonpublic schools.
5
No testing required
Montana has no testing or evaluation requirement for homeschoolers, and the teaching parent needs no credential — how you evaluate your child's progress is up to you.
What Romeschool tracks for you: Filing reminders and activity log.

Sources for Montana

Official source (mca.legmt.gov) ↗Additional source (mtche.org) ↗
Statute: Mont. Code Ann. § 20-5-109; § 20-5-111
Last reviewed: June 5, 2026
Corrected: September 23, 2026, after re-reading the official source for what changed

Every requirement above comes from our review of Montana’s rules, checked against these sources on June 5, 2026 and corrected on September 23, 2026 after re-reading the official source for what changed. Homeschool law changes, and a state can amend its rules between our reviews — read the official source before you file anything or rely on a date here. How we review state requirements.

Nearby states

States that share a border with Montana:

All 50 states & D.C. →