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State Requirements

Homeschooling in Montana

720 hrs/year 180 days Notice required

Montana has moderate homeschool requirements. Families must provide at least 4 hours per day over 180 school days, and you'll file notice with your local school district.

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If you're homeschooling in Montana, you're working inside a moderately regulated framework with enough structure to keep the state informed but plenty of room to build a family-shaped program. Compulsory attendance in Montana covers children ages 7-16, which means a homeschool program needs to be in place for any child in that range.

The instructional requirement in Montana is defined in two dimensions: 4 hours of teaching per day, times 180 days in the school year. Parents build a schedule that fits their household. Some days are heavy on formal lessons, others rely on field trips, co-ops, or project-based learning, and all of it contributes to the yearly total of roughly 720 hours.

Notice filing is the gateway for Montana homeschool families: a short document submitted to your local school district sets the record straight for the year ahead. Most districts accept a straightforward letter listing each student, their grade level, and a brief statement of intent.

Homeschool Fox was built to make the bookkeeping side of Montana homeschooling invisible. Log the day in plain English or by voice, and the hours, attendance, and subject coverage roll up automatically into the reports families need at evaluation time or the end of the year.

At a glance

4 hours/day

× 180 days ≈ 720 hours/year

Ages 7-16

Compulsory attendance

Notice requirements

Notice is required

You must notify your local school district of your intent to homeschool.

Need a head start? Use the free Notice of Intent generator to draft a Montana-ready letter.

Deeper guides: how to write a notice of intent to homeschool covers the language admins look for, and when and where to file your notice of intent covers state-by-state deadlines and recipients.

Generate your notice of intent

Withdrawing from public school

To withdraw your child from public school in Montana, send a written withdrawal letter to the principal or registrar, then file a notice of intent with your local school district so the transition is on record before instruction begins. Rather than hand-writing the withdrawal letter, Homeschool Fox produces a pre-formatted PDF ready to send to the district.

For the play-by-play, how to withdraw your child from public school walks through the conversation, the timing, and the paperwork. What to send the district when you pull your child covers exactly what the letter should and shouldn't say.

Assessment requirements

Assessment not required

Montana does not require standardized testing or formal assessment.

Portfolio & records

Portfolio not required

While Montana doesn't mandate a portfolio, keeping records is still recommended.

Additional notes

Annual notification to county superintendent required. 720 hours for grades 1-3, 1080 hours for grades 4-12. Must maintain attendance and immunization records.

Calculate your Montana hours

Montana requires 720 hours/year. Enter how far you've come and we'll show you the daily pace to finish on time.

Leave at 0 if you haven't started tracking yet

Enter an end date to see your targets

Prefer a full-page version? Open the standalone hours calculator.

Sources

Verified May 2026

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to notify anyone to homeschool in Montana?
Yes, Montana requires you to file notice of your intent to homeschool. You must notify your local school district.

How many hours do I need to homeschool in Montana?
Montana requires at least 4 hours of instruction per day over 180 school days, which works out to roughly 720 hours per year.

Does Montana require testing for homeschoolers?
No, Montana does not require standardized testing or formal assessments for homeschooled students. However, many families choose to use assessments voluntarily to track progress.

Do I need to keep a portfolio in Montana?
No, Montana does not legally require you to maintain a portfolio. However, keeping records of your homeschool activities is still highly recommended for your own reference and for potential college applications or if you ever need to demonstrate educational progress.

What subjects must I teach in Montana?
Montana does not mandate specific subjects. Families have complete flexibility in designing their curriculum and choosing what to teach.

Nearby states

View all states

Want the cross-state comparison? Homeschool laws by state covers the legal regime in every state side by side.

What we track

Track your 720 Montana hours automatically

Log activities by voice or text and Homeschool Fox rolls them up against Montana's requirements automatically. Free for 14 days.

  • Hours toward 720-hour goal
  • Attendance days toward 180-day goal
  • Subject coverage (core & non-core)
  • Activity log (text, voice, AI-parsed)
  • Portfolios & PDF year-end reports
  • Transcripts with GPA & credits
  • Test scores & evaluations
  • Notice of intent & withdrawal letters
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