Overview
Montana recognizes home education as a lawful exemption from compulsory public-school enrollment. Parents must provide annual notice to the county superintendent, maintain attendance records, meet minimum instructional hours, and provide an organized course of study covering the basic instructional program.
Important 2025 change: Montana separated homeschool requirements from nonpublic-school requirements.
Homeschools are no longer required to maintain immunization records for the county superintendent or satisfy the former school-building health-and-safety requirement.
Compulsory School Attendance Age
Montana compulsory enrollment generally applies to a child who is age 7 or older before the first day of school and continues until the later of the child's 16th birthday or completion of the work of grade 8. A child enrolled in a homeschool that complies with Montana law is exempt from public-school enrollment.
Annual Homeschool Notification
A homeschool must notify the county superintendent of schools in the county where the homeschool is located during each school fiscal year of the student's attendance at the homeschool. Families should retain a copy of the annual notice.
Instructional Hours
Montana requires at least the following aggregate instructional hours during the school fiscal year:
• 720 hours for grades 1 through 3 • 1,080 hours for grades 4 through 12 • Kindergarten hours are governed separately; compulsory attendance generally begins later
Required Subjects
The homeschool must provide an organized course of study that includes instruction in the subjects required of public schools as the basic instructional program. Montana's accreditation standards define that broader basic program. Families commonly include English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, health and physical education, arts, and career/technology-related instruction as appropriate.
Attendance and Records
Montana homeschool families must maintain pupil attendance records and make them available to the county superintendent upon request. After the 2025 law change, the homeschool-specific statute no longer requires homeschool families to maintain disease-immunization records for this purpose.
Standardized Testing
Montana does not impose a general statewide standardized-testing requirement on independent homeschool students.
Parent Teacher Qualifications
Montana does not require a homeschooling parent to hold a teaching certificate or college degree. State law gives the parent authority over the educational philosophy, curriculum, instructional materials, time, place, method of instruction, and evaluation of the homeschool program.
Curriculum Freedom
Parents are responsible for choosing instructional materials, curriculum, and textbooks and for determining the time, place, and method of instruction, subject to the required hours and organized-course-of-study requirement.
Graduation
Montana does not operate a state-issued independent homeschool diploma program. Parents may establish graduation requirements and maintain transcripts, credits, grades, and graduation records. Postsecondary institutions and other organizations may set their own admission or documentation standards.
Alabama Church School Services for Montana Families
Montana families are not required to enroll with Alabama Church School. ACS may provide complete curriculum, attendance tools, report cards, transcripts, diplomas, graduation documentation, academic records, and support. Enrollment with ACS does not replace Montana's annual county notification, instructional-hour, attendance-record, or course-of-study requirements.
Montana Homeschool Law References
- Montana Code Annotated § 20-5-102 — Compulsory enrollment and exemptions
- Montana Code Annotated § 20-5-109 — Home school requirements
- Montana Code Annotated § 20-5-111 — Parent responsibilities and rights
- Montana Code Annotated § 20-1-301 — Minimum aggregate instructional hours
- 2025 HB 778 — Revised homeschool requirements
This guide summarizes current homeschool requirements for informational purposes. Laws, administrative procedures, and agency guidance can change. Families remain responsible for complying with the laws of their state of residence.
How Alabama Church School supports Montana families
ACS does not replace your state's homeschool requirements — it gives families complete curriculum, academic records, transcripts, diplomas, and documentation while you continue satisfying Montana law.
Nearby state homeschool guides
Families moving to or from Montana often review these states next.