________________
To: ________________
I am withdrawing ________________ from your school. My child will be educated at home under the law of Montana.
Please send me a copy of my child's school records.
Thank you.
SignatureDate
Withdrawing from school to homeschool in Montana
How to take your child out of school to homeschool in Montana, step by step: what to file first, what to tell the school, and a letter to print.
- Montana law
- This year's checklist
- Letter of intent
- Withdrawing from school
- ESA money
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.
Step by step
- Before your child's last day, do what Montana asks of a new homeschool. Each school fiscal year (July 1 to June 30); no date is set: Notify the county superintendent of schools of your child's attendance at your home school. Fill in the Montana letter of intent.Source: MCA 20-5-109 Nonpublic and home school requirements (Montana Legislature)
- Tell the school. We did not find a Montana rule on how to tell the school. A short dated letter, with a copy kept, gives you a record of the day your child left.
- Ask for your child's records (report cards, test results, any evaluations or plans) so you know where your child stands. Good practice, not a legal step.
- If your child has an IEP or a 504 plan, ask the district before you leave what, if anything, it offers homeschooled students, and get a copy of the plan. Good practice, not a legal step.
- Keep copies of everything you send and anything you get back, with the dates. Good practice, not a legal step.
- Start your records on day one. A home school must maintain records on pupil attendance and make them available to the county superintendent on request. The home school section does not require immunization records (that is listed only for nonpublic schools).Source: MCA 20-5-109 Nonpublic and home school requirements (Montana Legislature)
A letter to the school
Fill this in and print it. It tells the school your child is leaving to be taught at home and asks for the records. It is not the state's notice; that is the letter of intent.
Your letter
Keep a copy with the date you handed it in or mailed it.
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.