School Choice

School Choice and Homeschool in Montana

Private school choice programs, charter schools, homeschool rules and private schools in Montana. Facts as of November 2026.

Choice programs2At least one is universal
Charter schoolsAllowedPublic charter law
Homeschool noticeYesTesting: No

Private school choice programs

How they work ›

Tax Credit for Donations to Student Scholarship Organizations

Tax-credit scholarship Universal Enacted 2015

Any Montana resident student age 5 to under 19 attending a qualified non-public education provider; donors receive a credit up to $200,000 and the aggregate annual cap is $5 million.

Enacted 2015 (Laws 2015, ch. 457), amended 2021 and 2023; the section is temporary and terminates December 31, 2029.

Official source

Montana Special Needs Equal Opportunity Education Savings Account

Education savings account Limited Enacted 2023

Montana students ages 5 to 19 identified as a child with a disability under IDEA.

HB 393 (2023), administered by the Office of Public Instruction. A district court ruled it unconstitutional in December 2025 for lack of a valid appropriation; the state appealed and the program's operation for 2026-27 is uncertain.

Official source

Charter schools

Montana has a public charter school law.

Official source

Homeschool rules

Parents notify the county superintendent of schools each school fiscal year and keep attendance records available on request. No testing is required. Check your state's law before you start.

Notice: Yes Testing: No

Law: Mont. Code Ann. §§ 20-5-102, 20-5-109. Official source

Private schools in Montana

The private school list will appear here after the first scheduled update.

From the blog

The Heckler's Veto on Campus and What the First Amendment Says About ItWhen a crowd shouts down a speaker or a college cancels an event over threatened disruption, the mob wins a veto the First Amendment does not allow.A Thought Experiment on Grocery Stores Assigned by ZIP CodeA labelled satire: assign each family one grocery store by address and call complaints an attack on public food, then see what that says about assigned schools.Your First Year of Homeschooling, a Practical Playbook for ParentsA step-by-step plan for the first year: find your state's legal category, withdraw properly, pick a curriculum, keep records, test and plan for transcripts.Microschools Are the One-Room Schoolhouse Reborn, With Modern RulesSmall multi-age schools taught most Americans for generations. Microschools revive the model, and zoning, fire codes and licensing are the obstacles.

Sources: Montana Code Annotated 15-30-3111 (donation credit), Montana Code Annotated 15-30-3102 (definitions), Montana Office of Public Instruction: Education Savings Account, Montana Board of Public Education: Public Charter Schools, Montana Code Annotated 20-5-109, NCES Private School Universe Survey. State facts as of November 2026. Check your state's law before you start.