How to Become a Teacher in Montana

The Montana Office of Public Instruction reported an enrollment of more than 150,000 K-12 students in nearly 400 public school districts across the state in 2022-2023. According to data from that same year reported by the National Education Association, Montana teacher salaries rank 42nd in the nation, earning well under the state’s minimum living wage.

State legislators continue to push for higher wages and emergency teaching authorizations to combat Montana’s ongoing teacher shortage. Be the change: Read on to learn how to become a teacher in Montana.

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

You need an undergraduate degree, teaching experience, and state-issued certification to become a teacher in Montana.

The minimum education requirement for teaching certification in Montana is a bachelor’s degree in education. The educator preparation program must be approved by Montana’s Office of Public Instruction or accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

You can get a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, secondary education, or special education. Coursework commonly covers subjects like child development, multicultural education, and curriculum and instruction. Montana also encourages teachers to incorporate Native American history and culture into their repertoire.

Student teaching allows you to put your knowledge of lesson planning, classroom management, and student assessment to work. Montana requires at least 14 weeks of student teaching. You must apply for student teaching through your college’s education department.

Prerequisites include practicum classroom experience, completion of all required education courses, a 2.75 minimum GPA, and current first aid and CPR certification. You must also undergo fingerprinting and background checks before working in schools.

The primary certification exam for educators is the Praxis Core test, which measures both content knowledge and instructional skills. Teachers in Montana must pass the Praxis Core in their teaching subject area. Montana sets its own minimum score requirements for each subject.

Test times range from 1.25-4 hours, depending on subject area. Fees also vary by subject, ranging from $90-$180. You can find state score requirements and test locations at Praxis.org.

You must submit your certification application, including transcripts, recommendations, Praxis results, and a background check, through the Montana Office of Professional Instruction.Waiting for final grades to post and Praxis scores to be transmitted means processing your application may take several weeks.

Montana charges a certification fee of $80 or $95 for first-time applicants, depending on your endorsement area, plus a $25 technology fee. Subsequent endorsements (in a different grade or subject) or upgrades require additional certification fees.

Teachers in Montana must maintain their teaching certification through continuing education. Standard teaching certification in Montana is valid for five years, during which a teacher mustcomplete at least 60 continuing education units.

Some temporary teaching certifications require renewal or upgrades after 1-3 years. For example, a provisional license remains valid for up to three years. Still, it is nonrenewable, so upgrading to a permanent teaching license requires the completion of a teacher preparation program and professional recommendations.

Earning your Montana teacher certification can lead to annual mean wages between $35,000 and $62,500 for pre-K-12 teachers, as shown below. With additional experience in a specialized teaching age group and/or subject area, teachers in Montana have the potential to earn salaries above the national average teacher salary of $61,900.

Note: The insights on this page — excluding school descriptions — were reviewed by an independent third party compensated for their time by BestColleges. Page last reviewed May 20, 2024.