Homeschooling in Montana

Montana law sets no withdrawal form, and the school itself receives nothing by law; the yearly county notice is the legal step. A parent must enroll a child in the assigned school within the first week of the term unless the child is in a home school that complies with MCA 20-5-109, so send the notice when homeschooling begins, mid-year included.

What the notice says

• Your name and address
• Your child's name and age or grade
• That your child attends your home school for the school fiscal year
• Your signature and the date

Tell the school in writing as well, so it records why your child stopped attending. Ask for copies of report cards, test scores, and any special education evaluations before you go.

Attendance is the one record the law requires. The 2025 amendment to the law removed the immunization-record rule for home schools; it still applies to other nonpublic schools.

Because the hours requirement is counted per school fiscal year, an attendance record that shows hours, not only days, answers the question the law asks. From ninth grade on, a transcript listing each course with its grade and credit serves dual enrollment, college applications, and any return to public school.

Montana requires no tests of home school students, and evaluating the instruction is the parent's job under state law.

Tests come up in two places. A child who enters a public school from a home school takes the district's placement assessment, explained under returning. For dual enrollment, college placement tests apply to math and writing courses, and a student under 16 or below junior standing may use tests such as the pre-ACT, pre-SAT, or Accuplacer to show readiness.

Every school district must find and evaluate children with disabilities who live in it, homeschooled children included (34 CFR 300.111). To start, ask your school district in writing for an evaluation.

The Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) says home school students registered with the county superintendent are parentally placed private school students under federal special education law. A child found eligible receives equitable services through a services plan, not an individualized education program (IEP), and the district must include home school parents in its consultation on those services. Children ages 3 to 5 are the exception: they are entitled to a free appropriate public education through an IEP.

Part-time enrollment

State law says a child enrolled in a nonpublic or home school may enroll part time in a public school. A part-time student can take classes there while staying in your home school.

Montana's graduation requirements and accreditation standards apply to public schools. In a home school, you set the high school course of study and decide when it is complete; the state does not issue a diploma for it.

The graduating-senior rule lets a senior's final year count with 1,050 hours instead of 1,080.

A home school graduate's record is two documents: a diploma you sign and a transcript that lists each course by year with its grade and credit.

Montana law sets no rule for admitting home school graduates. The Board of Regents and each Montana University System (MUS) campus set admission requirements.

Dual enrollment

MUS dual enrollment is open to students aged 16 to 19 or with junior or senior standing. A Commissioner's directive lets home school students qualify for the dual enrollment tuition rate, and home school students may ask for an exception to the age or standing rules in writing, with evidence the student can handle the course; course prerequisites and placement scores still apply.

Through One-Two-Free, a student's first two dual enrollment courses, or up to six credits, are tuition free. Later courses cost 50 percent of two-year resident tuition, a student facing hardship may apply for a scholarship, and some courses carry fees.

Homeschool dual enrollment in Montana

A school district or athletic association may not bar a home school student from extracurricular activities at a school in the student's resident district because the student is not enrolled there or does not attend for a set number of hours. It may limit participation based on United States citizenship or Montana residency.

The student meets the same participation standards as full-time students and the same rules of the school's interscholastic association. Academic eligibility is attested in writing by the parent who teaches, with verification by the school principal, and that verification may not include any form of student assessment.

Homeschool sports eligibility in Montana

Montana has no homeschool tax credit or deduction.

The state's Education Savings Account (ESA) is a reimbursement program for parents of a child with a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. A court case challenges it; on December 18, 2025, OPI announced a full stay that let the program operate through the end of the 2025-26 school year. Applications open May 1 and November 1, the amount follows the state funding formula and varies by district, and re-enrolling in public school ends participation. Whether it runs in 2026-27 depends on that case.

One-Two-Free dual enrollment is the main cost saving open to home school students.

Homeschool tax breaks and funding in Montana

A child can enroll in a Montana public school at any time. Each district's trustees must adopt a policy for placing a child whose previous place of instruction was a nonaccredited, nonpublic school, which includes home schools. The policy must name the specific placement assessment, set a procedure for grade and program placement that considers your child's age and abilities, and give you a hearing before the board of trustees if you disagree with the placement and ask for one.

The district must apply the policy in a uniform and fair manner. Ask the district for its written policy before your child returns.