ACADEMICS / PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM

Registration for Montana public schools usually occurs in late spring, but it is also possible to register in August and on the opening day of school. School offices are also open for registration two weeks before the school year begins. Registration takes place at the school your child will attend. You will need proof of age (such as a legal birth certificate or baptismal record) and a current immunization record. The month, day, and year of each immunization must be included and the form must be signed by a physician.

The Montana Immunization Law requires that children of grades pre-school through 12 shall provide proof of immunization or sign an exemption at the time of initial enrollment in an Idaho school. Parents or guardians should provide a copy of the student’s immunizations to the school at the time of registration, before the student attends school.

Parents may choose to exempt their child from the state school immunization requirements for personal, medical or religious reasons.  If an exemption is submitted, and there is an outbreak of the disease for which the exemption is signed, the exempted student may be excluded from school for the period deemed necessary by public health officials.

To enter kindergarten, a child must be at least five years of age prior to September 10 of the current school year. For more information or answers to your specific questions on education in Idaho, contact the following:

Montana Office of Public Instruction
Helena 406-444-3680
http://opi.mt.gov/

Required Assessments
The Montana Comprehensive Assessment System (MontCAS) meets the testing requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and ensures that all children have the opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and assessments.
All Montana public and nonpublic accredited schools are required to test all students in the following content areas:

• reading/English Language Arts (ELA), 
• mathematics, and
• science. 

Schools must also annually assess the English language proficiency of identified English Learners (ELs).

Assessment & Accountability
Montana Department of Education
Helena 406-444-3680
http://opi.mt.gov/Leadership/Assessment-Accountability/MontCAS/Required-Assessments

US Department Of Education
For the most comprehensive listings and information about any school in the United States, click on one of the links below to access the US Dept. of Education’s list of links to every school district in the United States and to find out detailed information about every school district by state, city or town.

State Department of Education Links By State
https://www2.ed.gov/about/contacts/state/index.html

National Center For Education Statistics
http://nces.ed.gov/datatools/