Montana Homeschool Record Keeping: What to Track & How

Montana’s homeschool law is refreshingly simple, but simplicity creates a responsibility: you must document everything yourself. There’s no state review, no quarterly reports, no external accountability. Your records are your proof that you’re complying with law and that your child is actually learning. Without organized record-keeping, you have nothing—no transcript, no proof of progress, no documentation if there’s ever a question. This post covers exactly what to track and how to organize it practically.

Key Takeaways

• Montana requires attendance records, course descriptions, and grade/progress documentation (per MCA 20-5-109)
• Keep records for at least 5 years (in case of future questions)
• Records must show you’re meeting hour requirements (360-1,080 hours depending on grade)
• Transcripts are your responsibility; official records are what you create
• A simple system (spreadsheet, notebook, digital app) is sufficient

Montana’s Record-Keeping Requirements

MCA 20-5-109 requires Montana homeschoolers to maintain:

1. Attendance records
– Days/hours of instruction per subject
– Total hours per year must meet grade-level minimums
– Grade-specific requirements:
– K (half-day): 360 hours
– K (full-day) through grade 3: 720 hours
– Grades 4-12: 1,080 hours

2. Course descriptions
– What subjects your child studied
– Brief description of curriculum/content
– Not overly detailed, just enough to describe what they learned

3. Documentation of progress/grades
– How you’re assessing learning
– Grades or progress notes
– Work samples (tests, essays, projects)
– Not required to be formal, just documented

That’s it. Montana’s legal requirement is minimal compared to many states.

Beyond Legal Minimum: What Smart Homeschoolers Track

You can meet legal requirements with bare-bones records. But if your child ever transfers to traditional school, applies to college, or you need to show progress, you need more.

Smart homeschool record-keeping includes:

1. Course titles and descriptions
– “American History 2024-2025”
– “Study of US history from colonial period through modern era; primary sources, textbook, documentary viewing, essay assignments”

2. Grade weights or progress indicators
– Percentage grades, letter grades, or narrative progress
– Mid-year and end-of-year assessments
– Consistency across subjects so transcript makes sense

3. Work samples
– Key assignments (essays, math tests, projects)
– Don’t need to save everything, but save representative samples
– Organized by subject and date

4. Participation in external activities
– Community college or MTDA courses (with official transcripts)
– Co-op or enrichment classes (document which classes, instructor, hours)
– Tutoring (save progress notes from tutors)
– Sports or clubs (document participation, role, hours)

5. Standardized testing or formal assessment (if you choose to do it)
– SAT/ACT scores
– Achievement test results
– Any formal evaluations

6. Hour tracking
– Spreadsheet by subject, cumulative hours per year
– Ensures you’re meeting grade-level minimums
– Prevents surprises at year-end

Hour Requirements and Tracking

Montana requires:

Grade	Hours
K (half-day)	360 hours
K (full-day) – 3	720 hours
4 – 12	1,080 hours

How to track:

Simple method: Spreadsheet with columns for date, subject, hours, cumulative total.

Date	Subject	Hours	Running Total
9/5/25	Math	1.5	1.5
9/5/25	Language Arts	1.5	3.0
9/8/25	Science	1.0	4.0

Better method: By week or month, summarize hours by subject.

Week of 9/8/25:
– Math: 7.5 hours
– Language Arts: 7.5 hours
– Science: 5 hours
– Social Studies: 5 hours
– PE: 1.5 hours
– Total: 26.5 hours

Carry forward cumulative total. By June, you should have 1,080 hours (for grades 4-12).

Even easier method: Use an app designed for homeschool tracking (like Trello, Toggl, or homeschool-specific apps). Many families prefer digital to spreadsheets.

Building Your Transcript

You create your child’s transcript. It should include:

High school transcript format (most important for college admissions):

• Student name and ID
• School name (can be “Homeschool” or your family name)
• Course name
• Grade level when taken
• Credit hours (usually 0.5 or 1.0 per course)
• Grade (letter or percentage)
• Notes (semester, year, etc.)

Example:

Course	Grade	Credit	Year
Algebra 1	A	1.0	2023-24
Biology	B+	1.0	2023-24
English 9	A	1.0	2023-24
World History	A-	1.0	2023-24
Spanish 1	B	0.5	2023-24

Grading approach:
– Traditional letter grades (A, B, C, etc.)
– Percentage grades (90%, 85%, etc.)
– Narrative progress (not recommended for high school if college-bound; harder to convert to traditional transcript)

For elementary/middle: Less formal transcripts are acceptable. But start keeping grades consistently if your child might transition to traditional school or apply to college.

Course Descriptions for Transcript

When your child applies to college or transfers to traditional school, each course needs a description. Example:

Algebra 1 (2023-24, 1 credit)
– Introduction to algebraic concepts including variables, equations, graphing, systems of equations
– Textbook: McDougal Littell Algebra 1
– Assessments: Chapter tests, unit projects, final exam
– Grade: A

American History (2023-24, 1 credit)
– Comprehensive survey of US history from colonial era through modern period
– Primary sources, textbook, documentary films, essays
– Assessments: Chapter tests, analytical essays, final project
– Grade: A-

These don’t need to be lengthy. A paragraph describing what the child studied is sufficient.

Organizing Your Records: Practical Systems

System 1: Digital folder structure

Homeschool/
├── 2024-25/
│   ├── Records/
│   │   ├── Attendance Log.xlsx
│   │   ├── Grade Sheet.xlsx
│   │   ├── Course Descriptions.docx
│   ├── Math/
│   │   ├── Unit 1 test.pdf
│   │   ├── Unit 2 test.pdf
│   │   ├── Final project.pdf
│   ├── Language Arts/
│   ├── Science/
│   ├── Social Studies/

System 2: Binder-based
– One binder per year
– Sections: Attendance records, Course descriptions, Math samples, LA samples, Science samples, Other subjects
– File important documents; sample key assignments

System 3: Portfolio approach
– Curate best work samples per subject
– Photograph or scan
– Digital portfolio (Google Drive folder, simple website, portfolio app)

System 4: App-based
– Homeschool-specific apps (Trello, Toggl, Homeschool Planet)
– Attendance tracking, hour tracking, grade entry built-in
– Automatic transcript generation (some apps)

Pick the system you’ll actually maintain. Complexity isn’t better—consistency is.

Work Samples: What to Keep

You don’t need to keep every worksheet. Keep:

Always:
– Unit tests and major assessments
– Key essays or writing samples
– Projects and research papers
– Final exams

Optional but helpful:
– First, middle, and last assignment from each unit (shows progress)
– Photographs of major projects
– Audio/video samples (for younger kids, for portfolio)

Don’t need:
– Daily worksheets (unless they’re assessments)
– Every practice problem
– Every small assignment

Aim for 10-15 samples per major subject per year. This is enough to demonstrate learning without overwhelming documentation.

Special Situations

MTDA or community college courses:
Keep official transcripts from these institutions. These become part of your overall transcript.

Co-op or tutoring:
Get a written summary or certificate from the provider documenting what was taught and the student’s progress.

Dual enrollment with public school (HB 396):
Keep copies of transcripts or grade reports from the public school.

External testing (SAT, ACT, achievement tests):
Keep official score reports. Include with transcript if relevant.

Annual Cleanup and Organization

At the end of the school year:

1. Calculate total hours and verify you’ve met grade-level minimum
2. Finalize grades for all courses
3. Write course descriptions (while the year is fresh)
4. File work samples in organized way
5. Update transcript with current year’s courses and grades
6. Back up digital files
7. Store original documents in labeled folder for that year

This 2-3 hour task at year-end prevents chaos.

Keeping Records: How Long?

Keep for at least 5 years after completion of a course (so if your child finishes grade 9 in 2025, keep grade 9 records until 2030).

If your child will apply to college, keep high school records for at least 7-10 years (colleges may request transcripts years after graduation).

Creating Your Transcript for College/School Transition

When your child applies to college or transfers to public school, provide:

1. Official transcript (signed by parent, with school name, student name, date, all courses with grades)
2. Course descriptions (brief 1-3 sentence summary of what each course covered)
3. Grade scale (what does an A mean in your homeschool? 90-100%? Explain)
4. GPA (if you calculate it; many homeschoolers don’t)
5. Standardized test scores (if available: SAT, ACT, achievement tests)
6. Work samples (if the institution requests them)

Simple and clear is better than elaborate. Colleges are used to homeschool transcripts. A straightforward document suffices.

The Bottom Line

Montana’s simple law means you control your records entirely. This is both freedom and responsibility. Organized record-keeping takes minimal time (15-30 minutes per week) but pays off when you need to:

• Transfer to traditional school
• Apply to college
• Answer questions about compliance
• Create a portfolio

Start simple. Keep it consistent. Your records are your proof of learning and compliance.

More homeschooling resources: Homeschooling by State (All 50 States) | Complete Montana Homeschooling Guide