Homeschool Record Keeping in Montana

Required hours

720 hrs/year, 1,080 in grades 4-12

Required subjects

7 subjects

Notice

Required each year

Testing / evaluation

Not required

Recordkeeping

Required

Jump to the full Montana requirements for plain-English detail on each of these.

What to keep in Montana

Good records are your best protection if anyone ever questions your homeschool. In Montana, keep an organized set: a running log of what you teach and when, samples of your child's work, and any assessment or filing documents the state asks for. Depending on the rules you'll keep some at home and file others, so keep everything organized and dated.

Attendance and hours

Montana requires a minimum of 720 hours of instruction per school year.

Portfolio and work samples

Montana requires no portfolio of work, but MCA 20-5-109(2)(b) does require a home school to "maintain records on pupil attendance and make the records available to the county superintendent on request", so the attendance log is a duty rather than a suggestion. HB 778 (2025) removed the immunization records a home school used to keep.

How to organize your records

Keep one folder per child per school year: a running activity log, a stack of work samples, any test or evaluation results, and copies of anything you filed. Homeschool Fox does this automatically, logging hours by subject from your phone, tagging core versus non-core, and generating the Montana reports and year-end summaries you may need.

Common mistakes in Montana

• Keeping immunization records you no longer owe

  Older guidance and some county packets still say to keep attendance and immunization records. HB 778 (2025) rewrote MCA 20-5-109 so the immunization requirement applies only to other nonpublic schools; a home school keeps attendance records available on request and nothing more.

What this looks like in Homeschool Fox

Every activity you log rolls into a compliance view for Montana, so the records exist before anyone asks for them.

Free Montana printables

Two ready-to-use PDFs for Montana homeschoolers. No account needed.

Templates, not legal advice. Confirm the current rule with your state or district.

What Homeschool Fox tracks for Montana

The records Montana asks you to keep, plus the rest of your year, in one place. No spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.

• Hours toward your 720-hour goal
• Required subjects
• The records Montana asks you to keep
• Daily activity logs
• Printable PDF reports
• Progress tracking
• High school transcripts

More Montana guides

• Montana Homeschool Requirements Hours, notice, assessment, and subjects at a glance.
• How to Start Homeschooling in Montana A step-by-step guide from withdrawal to your first logged day.
• Homeschooling High School in Montana Credits, GPA, transcripts, and graduation.
• How to Withdraw From School in Montana The steps, the letter, and timing to avoid truancy issues.
• Moving to Montana What to file when you arrive and whether your records transfer.
• Public School Sports in Montana Whether homeschoolers can play, what it takes, and who to ask.
• Homeschool Hours Required in Montana The number, what counts toward it, and the pace to hit it.
• Required Subjects in Montana The list, how much time each needs, and proving you taught them.
• Montana Letter of Intent Who to file with, when it's due, and a free generator.