What to teach in Montana
Which courses here cover the required subjects, which subjects they do not, and roughly how many hours they account for.
What Montana specifies
- Subjects
- Yes — 7 required subjects
- Hours or days
- Same minimum aggregate hours as public schools (MCA 20-1-301/-302, cited by 20-5-109): 720 hours (grades 1-3), 1,080 hours (grades 4-12; 1,050 may suffice for graduating seniors); 360 half-time / 720 full-time kindergarten
- Assessment
- Not required.
The subjects Montana requires
- English language arts
- Mathematics
- Social studies
- Science
- Health
- Arts
- Career education
Quoted from the statute or regulation cited on the law page. Requirements for Grades K–5 are listed where the state sets them, but this site teaches Grades 6–12, so only those are matched below.
Courses that cover them
Montana's list touches all four subjects taught here. Each course below is a full year.
Mathematics
| Grade | Course |
|---|---|
| Grade 6 | Grade 6 Math |
| Grade 7 | Grade 7 Math |
| Grade 8 | Grade 8 Math |
| Grade 9 | Algebra I |
| Grade 10 | Geometry |
| Grade 11 | Algebra II |
| Grade 12 | Precalculus |
English
Science
| Grade | Course |
|---|---|
| Grade 6 | Science 6: Matter, Energy & Earth Systems |
| Grade 7 | Life Science & Scientific Inquiry |
| Grade 8 | Physical Science: Matter, Forces & Energy |
| Grade 9 | Earth & Space Science |
| Grade 10 | Life Science: Biology |
| Grade 11 | Physical Science: Chemistry |
| Grade 12 | Physics & Environmental Science |
Social studies
Each is planned as a 36-week year of about 180 sessions, five a week — the year 20 of the 21 course guides set out explicitly. How long a session runs is yours to set.
Does this meet the hours?
Same minimum aggregate hours as public schools (MCA 20-1-301/-302, cited by 20-5-109): 720 hours (grades 1-3), 1,080 hours (grades 4-12; 1,050 may suffice for graduating seniors); 360 half-time / 720 full-time kindergarten
Each course here plans a 36-week year of about 180 sessions, five a week — the year 20 of the 21 course guides set out explicitly. The length of a session is left to you, because a Grade 6 session and a Grade 12 one are not the same thing.
At 45 minutes a session — an assumption, not a rule — that is about 135 hours a course, so four courses come to roughly 540 hours. Against Montana's 1080 hours that leaves about 540 hours to account for: independent reading, the subjects below that this site does not teach, projects and field trips. Longer sessions close the gap quickly — at 60 minutes the same four courses come to 720 hours. Work it with your own session length rather than ours.
The four high school years
In most states the parent issues the diploma and writes the transcript, which makes the four-year plan the record — there is no school registrar keeping one for you. A full sequence of these courses looks like this.
| Grade | Mathematics | English | Science | Social studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | Algebra I | English 9 | Earth & Space Science | Global History & Geography I |
| Grade 10 | Geometry | English 10 | Life Science | Global History & Geography II |
| Grade 11 | Algebra II | English 11 | Physical Science | United States History & Government |
| Grade 12 | Precalculus | English 12 | Physics & Environmental Science | Government, Civic Participation & Economics |
Four subjects across four years is 16 full-year courses. Credits, grades and the diploma itself are Montana's business, not this site's — what Montana says about diplomas and transcripts.
What this site does not teach
Montana requires 3 subjects that these courses do not cover: health, art, computing or practical arts. Saying so plainly is more use than a page implying full coverage. Families commonly meet these through sport clubs, instrument or art lessons, a language app or tutor, and documented family activity — all of which count where the state asks for a log rather than a transcript.