§ 20-5-101 — Admittance Of Child To School

20-5-101 . Admittance of child to school. (1) The trustees shall assign and admit a child to a school in the district when the child is:
(a) 5 years of age or older on or before September 10 of the year in which the child is to enroll but is not yet 19 years of age;
(b) a resident of the district; and
(c) otherwise qualified under the provisions of this title to be admitted to the school.
(2) The trustees of a district may assign and admit any nonresident child to a school in the district under the tuition provisions of this title.
(3) (a) The trustees may at their discretion assign and admit a child to a school in the district who is under 5 years of age or an adult who is 19 years of age or older if there are exceptional circumstances that merit waiving the age provision of this section. The trustees may also admit an individual who has graduated from high school but is not yet 19 years of age even though no special circumstances exist for waiver of the age provision of this section.
(b) As used in this subsection (3), "exceptional circumstances" means any of the following:
(i) the child is being admitted into a preschool program established by the trustees pursuant to 20-7-117 ;
(ii) the child is determined by the trustees to be ready for kindergarten and the child's parents have requested early entry into the district's regular 1-year kindergarten program;
(iii) the child is being admitted into an early targeted intervention classroom or jumpstart program pursuant to Title 20, chapter 7, part 18;
(iv) the child is a child with a disability and is being admitted into a special education program pursuant to 20-7-411 ; or
(v) the adult is 19 years of age or older and in the trustees' determination would benefit from educational programs offered by a school of the district.
(c) The admittance of an individual under this subsection (3) does not in and of itself impact the ANB calculations governed by 20-9-311 .
(4) The trustees shall assign and admit a child who is homeless, as defined in the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, Public Law 100-77, to a school in the district regardless of residence. The trustees may not require an out-of-district attendance agreement or tuition for a homeless child.
(5) The trustees shall assign and admit a child whose parent or guardian is being relocated to Montana under military orders to a school in the district and allow the child to preliminarily enroll in classes and apply for programs offered by the district prior to arrival and establishing residency.
(6) Except for the provisions of subsection (4), tuition for a nonresident child must be paid in accordance with the tuition provisions of this title.
(7) The trustees' assignment of a child meeting the qualifications of subsection (1) to a school in the district outside of the adopted school boundaries applicable to the child is subject to the district's grievance policy. Upon completion of procedures set forth in the district's grievance policy, the trustees' decision regarding the assignment is final.
(8) The trustees shall assign and admit a child who is enrolled in a nonpublic or home school and who meets the requirements of subsection (1) as a part-time enrollee at the request of the child's parent or guardian.
(9) For the purposes of this part, "part-time enrollee" means a qualifying pupil who is enrolled and admitted at one of the fractional levels that qualify for part-time ANB pursuant to 20-9-311 (4)(a) or (4)(d).

Legislative History

En. 75-6302 by Sec. 115, Ch. 5, L. 1971; R.C.M. 1947, 75-6302; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 334, L. 1979; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 558, L. 1979; amd. Sec. 74, Ch. 575, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 120, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 214, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 374, L. 2007; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 128, L. 2013; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 16, L. 2019; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 20, L. 2021; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 608, L. 2023; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 617, L. 2023; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 439, L. 2025; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 672, L. 2025.