MicroschoolLaunchKit
Montana · updated 2026-09-19

What actually gates funding for a microschool in Montana: one written disclosure

Montana does not license or approve private schools. A school operates by meeting four conditions in statute: records, instructional hours, a safe building, and a course of study covering public-school subjects. Funding comes through Student Scholarship Organizations, which donors fund in exchange for a state tax credit. An unaccredited school qualifies to receive those scholarships by telling parents in writing at enrollment that it is not accredited and not seeking accreditation.

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The gate: Meeting the four statutory conditions to operate, then giving parents a written notice that the school is not accredited, which is what makes it a qualified education provider for scholarship-organization funding

What the rules actually say

“a nonpublic school includes a parochial, church, religious, or private school.”

— MCA 20-5-102: compulsory enrollment and excuses

“shall provide an organized course of study that includes instruction in the subjects required of public schools as a basic instructional program pursuant to 20-7-111.”

— MCA 20-5-109: nonpublic school requirements

“The Student Scholarship Organization Tax Credit is available to taxpayers who donate to an approved Student Scholarship Organization (SSO) to provide scholarships for eligible students to attend instruction offered by a qualified education provider.”

— Montana Department of Revenue: Student Scholarship Organization credit

“is a nonaccredited provider or tutor and has informed the child's parents or legal guardian in writing at the time of enrollment that the provider is not accredited and is not seeking accreditation”

— MCA 15-30-3102: qualified education provider

The sequence, in order

1. Confirm you need no state approval. Montana does not license private schools. You operate by meeting the conditions in MCA 20-5-109.
2. Secure a building that meets local health and safety code. One of the four statutory conditions. It is handled with your city or county.
3. Keep attendance and immunization records. They must be available to the county superintendent on request, so set them up from day one.
4. Write a course of study covering public-school subjects. Required by MCA 20-5-109 by reference to the public-school basic instructional program.
5. Meet the minimum instructional hours. MCA 20-5-109 ties this to the public-school hour requirements in 20-1-301. Plan your calendar against them before you set tuition.
6. Give parents the written non-accreditation disclosure. This is the gate. If you are not accredited and not seeking it, tell parents so in writing at enrollment. That notice is what makes you a qualified education provider for scholarship-organization funding.
7. Contact the approved scholarship organizations. This is the gate. The Montana Department of Revenue publishes the approved organizations. Each sets its own scholarship amounts, so a new school has to build these relationships itself.
8. Size expectations against the statewide cap. Donor tax credits are capped statewide each year (MCA 15-30-3111), so no amount of scholarship money is guaranteed to reach your families.

Where founders actually stall

Founders assume Montana needs a state sign-off to open or to take scholarship money. It does not. The friction is finding a scholarship organization with money for your families, and forgetting the written disclosure, which is the one thing that makes an unaccredited school eligible.

What we have not verified

Typical scholarship amounts actually awarded by Montana scholarship organizations. Statute does not set one.

Montana also runs a separate disability-only Education Savings Account that is operating under a court stay while it is litigated. We do not treat it as stable funding.

We would rather say this than guess. Everything above that is stated as fact carries a link to the primary source, so you can check us.

Sources

Get set up in Montana

Get set up in Montana

Montana has no approval step to open, and one written disclosure makes an unaccredited school eligible for scholarship-organization funding, so setup is light. Both options are one-time. We never take a cut of your tuition.

Launch Kit · $950. Your Montana playbook: every step in the right order, the document each one needs, and the operator tools (roster, attendance, tuition billing, evidence vault). You do the filing.

Get the Launch Kit · $950

Concierge · $1,995. Everything in the Launch Kit, plus we draft your written non-accreditation disclosure and your 20-5-109 compliance file with you in a working session, and prepare your outreach to the approved scholarship organizations.

Get Concierge · $1,995

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Free: the Montana starter checklist

Free: the Montana microschool starter checklist

Where to begin, what your state requires, and how funding works. No fluff.

MicroschoolLaunchKit provides general educational guidance, not legal advice, and is not affiliated with any state agency or ESA program administrator. Requirements and dollar figures change and some details here are still being verified — always confirm with your state's official sources before acting.