Montana Homeschool Record Keeping: Attendance, Notice, and Course Records
A practical summary of Montana homeschool notice, attendance, instruction, and recordkeeping requirements, with official sources.
The short answer
Montana homeschools notify the county superintendent each school fiscal year, keep attendance records available on request, provide 720 hours for grades 1 through 3 and 1,080 hours for grades 4 through 12, and offer an organized course of study covering the basic public-school subjects.
Notify the county superintendent each year
Montana Code 20-5-109 requires a homeschool to notify the county superintendent in the county where the homeschool is located during each school fiscal year. Keep a copy of the notice and any confirmation with the family’s permanent records.
Keep attendance records and meet the grade-level hours
Montana Code 20-5-109 was amended in 2025 and now lists nonpublic-school and homeschool requirements separately. For a homeschool, the current statute requires attendance records to be maintained and made available to the county superintendent on request; it does not list disease-immunization records in the homeschool subsection. The same subsection points to 20-1-301, which requires 720 hours for grades 1 through 3 and 1,080 hours for grades 4 through 12.
Keep an organized course record
Montana requires an organized course of study that includes the subjects required of public schools as a basic instructional program. The parent remains responsible for instructional philosophy, materials, curriculum, time, place, method, and evaluation under 20-5-111.
A practical Montana family file
Annual county-superintendent notice and confirmation
Attendance showing progress toward the required instructional hours
A course, subject, and curriculum list
Representative work samples and progress notes
Grades, outside-course records, and assessments
A running transcript and credit record for high school
Source date and scope
This summary was checked against the 2025 Montana Code Annotated on September 18, 2026. It is educational information, not legal advice. Confirm current instructions with your county superintendent before filing.
Common questions
What homeschool records does Montana specifically require?
The current homeschool subsection of Montana Code 20-5-109 specifically requires attendance records and makes them available to the county superintendent on request. The separate nonpublic-school subsection—not the homeschool subsection—lists disease-immunization records.
How many instructional hours does a Montana homeschool provide?
Montana Code 20-1-301 lists 720 hours for grades 1 through 3 and 1,080 hours for grades 4 through 12.
Does Montana require a yearly homeschool notice?
Yes. A homeschool must notify the county superintendent in the county where it is located during each school fiscal year.
