- Montana asks a homeschool for no portfolio, no work samples and no tests. The one record the law names is attendance, which you keep and show the county superintendent if asked.
- Each school year (July 1 to June 30), notify the superintendent of schools for your county. That is a county office, not your school district.
- Teach at least 720 hours a year in grades 1 to 3 and 1,080 hours in grades 4 to 12, in an organized course of study that covers the basic subjects public schools teach.
Picture one child’s homeschool folder for the year. It holds this year’s notice to the county superintendent, the attendance record with your days and hours, and your course plan and book list.
In Montana law, a homeschool is a parent teaching their own child, stepchild or ward at home (Mont. Code Ann. § 20-5-102(2)(e)). A private school runs on other rules. For public school classes and sports, see public school access.
What Montana requires instead of a portfolio
Montana has no portfolio rule. A homeschool meets four rules, and they are what excuse your child from enrolling in public school (§ 20-5-109(2)).
| Requirement | What the law says | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Notice | Each school year, tell the county superintendent of schools for the county your homeschool is in | § 20-5-109(2)(a) |
| Attendance | Keep attendance records and make them available to the county superintendent on request | § 20-5-109(2)(b) |
| Hours | Teach at least the minimum hours for the grade | § 20-5-109(2)(c); § 20-1-301 |
| Course of study | An organized course of study with the subjects public schools teach as their basic program | § 20-5-109(2)(d); § 20-7-111 |
| Who decides | You choose the approach, the materials and curriculum, the time, place and method, and how to evaluate it | § 20-5-111 |
| Ages | From 7 until 16 or the end of 8th grade, whichever comes later | § 20-5-102(1) |
The homeschool law names no portfolio, no tests, no evaluator and no teacher qualification. Attendance is the only record it asks for.
The basic subjects come from the Board of Public Education, which sets the public school program in its accreditation standards (§ 20-7-111). Your course plan is how you show you teach them.
How many hours Montana homeschoolers need
Montana counts hours, not days. A homeschool teaches at least the public school minimum for each grade, every school year from July 1 to June 30 (§ 20-5-109(2)(c); § 20-1-301).
| Grade | Minimum hours a year | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 360 (half-time) or 720 (full-time) | § 20-1-301(2)(a) |
| Grades 1 to 3 | 720 | § 20-1-301(2)(b) |
| Grades 4 to 12 | 1,080 | § 20-1-301(2)(c) |
| Graduating seniors | 1,050 may be enough | § 20-1-301(1) |
Since the law counts hours, log hours in your attendance record, not just days. That is advice, not law.
Notifying the county superintendent
Once each school year, you notify the county superintendent of schools for the county your homeschool is in (§ 20-5-109(2)(a)). It goes to the county office, not your school district. OPI keeps a directory of every county superintendent.
The law sets no form and no day within the year. Your county office may offer a form (Missoula County does), but you can send your own letter.
Some county offices ask for more on a set date. Missoula County, for example, asks for last year’s attendance report by September 1. The law itself says your records are available “on request” (§ 20-5-109(2)(b)).
If an older guide tells you to keep immunization records or meet building codes, it is out of date. In 2025, HB 778 gave homeschools their own rules, and those two now apply only to private schools (§ 20-5-109(1), (2)).
Who checks your homeschool
The law names one check: the county superintendent may ask to see your attendance records (§ 20-5-109(2)(b)). Beyond the yearly notice, nothing is sent in, and you are the one who evaluates your child’s work (§ 20-5-111).
Meeting the four rules is what keeps your child excused from enrolling in public school and from the school attendance law (§ 20-5-102(2)(e); § 20-5-103(2)).
The Montana homeschool year, date by date
Your year runs July 1 to June 30. The law sets no day for the notice, only that you send one each school year.
| When | What | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| July 1 | A new school year begins | § 20-1-301(1) |
| Each school year | Notify your county superintendent of schools | § 20-5-109(2)(a) |
| All year | Keep attendance, and teach the hours and your course of study | § 20-5-109(2)(b) to (d) |
| When asked | Show your attendance records to the county superintendent | § 20-5-109(2)(b) |
| By September 1 (Missoula County) | Last year’s attendance report, if your county asks | Missoula County |
| June 30 | The school year ends; hours count toward this year | § 20-1-301(1) |
| Ages 7 to 16, or the end of 8th grade | School age | § 20-5-102(1) |
How long to keep homeschool records in Montana
The law sets no time. It says you keep attendance records and show them on request (§ 20-5-109(2)(b)), so keep every year’s record, ready to show.
Coming back to school is the other reason to keep more. Missoula County says returning elementary students are tested for placement, and high schools expect credits from an accredited program for a diploma. Butte-Silver Bow County says a public high school may not accept credits from a program that isn’t accredited, so talk to your local high school early.
HSLDA suggests keeping book lists, work samples, letters from school officials and test results at least two years. It says to keep high school records and proof you followed the law forever. Both are advice, not law.
Our advice: keep a few originals on paper. Those are each year’s notice copy and anything from the county, any letter from a school or district, test or placement results, and high school work you may need for credit. Everything else can be a scan.
Work samples: not required, still worth keeping
Montana asks a homeschool for no work samples. They still show your organized course of study at work (§ 20-5-109(2)(d)), and they help if your child returns to school.
What counts is up to you. Examples, not rules: a dated math page, a writing piece, a book list, a science lab sheet, a photo of a project.
Public school classes and activities
Your child can take public school classes part time. Ask your district: it must admit a homeschooled child part time at your request if they meet the age and residence rules (§ 20-5-101(8); § 20-5-102(2)(e)).
Activities are open too. A district or athletic association can’t shut out a student from a homeschool that meets § 20-5-109 just because they aren’t enrolled, and the student follows the same standards as full-time students (§ 20-5-112).
For academic eligibility, the person who teaches your child attests in writing and the principal verifies it. The verification can’t include any kind of test (§ 20-5-112(3)(b)).
Since 2025, a district or athletic association may limit activities for a homeschooled student who is not a U.S. citizen or a Montana resident (§ 20-5-112(1)(b)).
Can your records be digital?
Yes, as far as the law goes. It sets no format for the notice or the attendance records, and a Montana homeschool has no evaluator to accept or reject a portfolio.
Keep your attendance record in a form you could print or show if the county superintendent asks. That is advice, not law.
What changes in 2026 and 2027
2026
No change. Montana’s Legislature meets in regular session only in odd-numbered years, and the homeschool law reads as it did after the 2025 session.
The 2025 changes stand. Homeschools have their own four rules, without the immunization-records and building rules (HB 778). Districts may limit activities for students who are not U.S. citizens or Montana residents (SB 350).
2027
The Legislature convenes on January 4, 2027, and any change would start there (§ 5-2-103).
For you, the cycle repeats: your next notice falls in the school year that starts July 1, 2027.
Keeping your records in KidsFoldr
The easy answer is to keep it all, on your phone instead of a shelf of binders. Snap each paper for peace of mind, and the paper can go. Course plans, book lists and work are filed by child, grade and type (and subject for schoolwork), with nobody sorting and nothing to type.
The few originals named above stay on paper. Snap them too, so a copy is always at hand. Snap a county letter with a due date, a placement test appointment or a tryout schedule, and the date lands on your family calendar, linked back to the paper, with nothing to type.
Your attendance can fill itself in from the papers you snap. In the Attendance or hours log, Fill from papers adds a day for every date your child has schoolwork, artwork or a test on file. Then add your hours.
If the county superintendent or a school asks, the year is ready. Start a New portfolio for a grade or your own dates, like July 1 to June 30, and print or share the PDF. You pick the sections. For Montana, you might switch on:
- The attendance or hours log, for your days and hours
- Work samples, sorted by subject, for your course of study
- A reading log, for your book list
- Letters and notices, for each year’s notice
Turn on automatic backup, and every paper goes to KidsFoldr Cloud as it is filed. One tap on Back up copies every paper to your own Google Drive or iCloud, and every paper is searchable by any word on it.
Common questions
Do I need a homeschool portfolio in Montana?
No. The homeschool law names no portfolio, work samples or tests. The one record it asks for is attendance, kept and shown to the county superintendent on request (§ 20-5-109(2)(b)).
Who do I notify, and how often?
The county superintendent of schools for the county your homeschool is in, once each school year (§ 20-5-109(2)(a)). The school year runs July 1 to June 30.
How many hours do Montana homeschoolers need?
At least 720 hours a year in grades 1 to 3 and 1,080 in grades 4 to 12. Kindergarten is 360 half-time or 720 full-time, and 1,050 may be enough for a graduating senior (§ 20-1-301).
How long do I have to keep homeschool records in Montana?
The law sets no time; it says to keep attendance records and show them on request. HSLDA advises keeping most records at least two years, and high school records and proof you followed the law forever.
Do Montana homeschoolers still need immunization records?
Not under the homeschool law. Since HB 778 in 2025, the immunization-records rule in § 20-5-109 applies to private schools, not homeschools.