Montana ESA and voucher money for homeschoolers
Education Savings Account (Students with Special Needs Equal Opportunity Act): what taking the money does to your homeschool status, then the amount, who can apply, what it buys and how vendors are approved.
This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page. Laws change, and Montana's own statute and education department are the final word. The links below go straight to them.
Deadlines, forms and amounts checked on against the sources linked on this page.
What taking the money does to your homeschool status
A program is open to homeschool families. You sign a contract that releases the resident school district from all its obligations to educate your child, including special education. You can re-enroll in public school at any time, which ends the account.
Source: Office of Public Instruction: Education Savings Account
- How much
- Set by the state's per-student (ANB) formula, which varies slightly by district, less 5% for administration.Source: Office of Public Instruction: Education Savings Account
- Who can apply
- Children with a disability under the federal IDEA definition who meet the law's other conditions, such as being counted in a public school the year before or being new to the state.Source: Office of Public Instruction: Education Savings Account; Montana Code Annotated 20-7-1703 (ESA definitions)
- What it can pay for
- Curriculum, tutoring and educational therapies, among others; consumable supplies up to $50 a year.Source: MCA 20-7-1704 Use of education savings account (Montana Legislature)
- How vendors and providers are approved
- There is no marketplace: you pay, and the Office of Public Instruction reimburses allowed expenses.Source: Office of Public Instruction: Education Savings Account
- How and when to apply
- The Office of Public Instruction lists two windows a year, May 1 to June 1 and November 1 to December 1. We found no official word on whether they run in 2026–27 (see the court case).Source: Office of Public Instruction: Education Savings Account
- Court cases
- The Office of Public Instruction's newest notice says a full stay let the program run for the rest of that school year while a lawsuit goes on. We found no official page on 2026–27.Source: Office of Public Instruction: Education Savings Account
The program's own page: Education Savings Account (Students with Special Needs Equal Opportunity Act). Programs change their amounts, dates and rules every year, so read the current handbook before you apply or spend.
Before you decide
- Read what the money changes first. In some states taking it means you are no longer homeschooling under the homeschool law, and the program's own rules (an agreement, tests, a learning plan) apply instead.
- Keep every receipt and the program's approval emails; programs ask for them.
- Peabody Teach is free and sells nothing, so it is not a vendor in any program and has no stake in what you buy. There are no affiliate links on this page.
Montana checklist for this year · ESA and voucher money in every state
Where this comes from
- MCA 20-5-102 Compulsory enrollment and excuses (Montana Legislature) (the law)
- MCA 20-5-109 Nonpublic and home school requirements (Montana Legislature) (the law)
- MCA 20-1-301 School fiscal year (Montana Legislature) (the law)
- MCA 20-7-111 Instruction in public schools (Montana Legislature) (the law)
- MCA 20-7-1704 Use of education savings account (Montana Legislature) (the law)
- Office of Public Instruction: Education Savings Account (state agency)
- Montana Code Annotated 20-7-1703 (ESA definitions) (the law)
Checked on October 29, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Laws and forms change; confirm a date with your school district or the state agency before you rely on it. For legal advice, ask a lawyer licensed in Montana; homeschool legal-help organizations and your state's homeschool groups can also point you to help. Something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.