How to Become a Teacher in Montana: Tests, Fees and Routes

By the Transforming Education editorial team. Every fact on this page was checked against the source linked beside it on November 7, 2026.

No degree yet: the traditional route

For high school students, college students and anyone without a bachelor's degree. You earn the degree and the teacher preparation in one program.

Class 2 Standard Teaching License

New graduates apply for the Class 2 Standard Teaching License after earning a bachelor's or master's degree and completing an accredited educator preparation program that includes supervised teaching. Applicants also complete the free An Introduction to Indian Education for All in Montana course. They must meet one pathway: an out-of-state license plus two years of teaching, a qualifying Praxis subject score, a passing student teaching portfolio, or a 3.00 or higher coursework GPA verified by the program.

1. Earn a bachelor's or master's degree from an institutionally accredited college or university
2. Complete an accredited educator preparation program that includes supervised teaching
3. Complete the free Indian Education for All in Montana course on the Teacher Learning Hub
4. Meet one pathway: Praxis subject score, passing student teaching portfolio, 3.00 coursework GPA, or out-of-state license plus two years of teaching
5. Apply online in TeachMT with official transcripts, a fingerprint background check, the university recommendation and the fee

Source: opi.mt.gov

Bachelor's in another field: the alternative route

For people who already hold a bachelor's degree in a subject other than education.

Class 5B Provisional License

A bachelor's degree holder who has not completed an educator preparation program can receive a Class 5B provisional license while enrolled in a program that can be finished within three years. The license requires a current Montana address or a job offer from a Montana P-12 school, is not renewable, and can be held only once per teaching career. The Board of Public Education approved its first alternative teacher certification program in March 2024, and OPI lists American Board as an alternative educator preparation program.

1. Hold a bachelor's degree from an institutionally accredited college or university
2. Enroll in an educator preparation program you can complete within three years
3. Show a current Montana residential address or a job offer from a Montana P-12 school
4. Complete the Indian Education for All in Montana course
5. Apply for the Class 5B license in TeachMT with a plan of study
6. Upgrade to a Class 2 license after completing your Plan of Professional Intent

Source: opi.mt.gov

Changing careers into teaching in Montana

If you already have a bachelor's degree and some years in another job, start with the alternative route described above. It is built for people who did not study education. The program below is on the state's approved list, and it says its coursework is online.

For pay context, the median annual wage for high school teachers in Montana was $60,990 in May 2025, according to the BLS OEWS state estimates. If your background matches a subject on the state's shortage list, that list is further down this page.

State-approved alternative certification programs

Programs shown are a selection from the state's approved list, checked November 7, 2026. "Online" reflects what the program or the state says about its coursework; teaching practice is always in a real school. The full, current list is on the agency's approved-program page.

Licensed in another state

For teachers who hold a license from another state and want to teach in Montana.

Out-of-state applicants

Montana does not have reciprocity with any state, so teachers licensed elsewhere submit a full application. A current standard, unrestricted out-of-state license plus two years of teaching experience satisfies the testing or portfolio pathway for the Class 2 or Class 1 license. Applicants whose degree is more than five years old and who lack a current license or recent professional development may qualify for a Class 5C provisional license.

1. Submit an application online through TeachMT
2. Send official transcripts and a copy of your current out-of-state license
3. Provide a university or alternative program recommendation verifying your preparation program and endorsements
4. Complete the fingerprint background check
5. Complete the Indian Education for All in Montana course and pay the licensure fee

Source: opi.mt.gov

Required tests, codes and qualifying scores

Montana uses Praxis for teacher licensure. The table lists the core tests by license area, with the qualifying score and fee exactly as the source publishes them. Which tests you take depends on the license area you are seeking, so check the full list for your subject before you register.

Scores and fees change. Confirm both on the testing company's page before you register.

Fees, background check and license validity

Background check

Applications for a first Montana license require a fingerprint background check along with transcripts and other forms submitted through TeachMT. A new fingerprint background check is also required to reinstate a lapsed license or apply for a Class 5C reinstatement license. The licensure pages do not state the fingerprinting fee. Source

Your first license

License: Class 2 Standard Teaching License. It is valid for 5 years. The Class 1 Professional Teaching License (master's degree or National Board certification) is also valid for 5 years. Class 5A provisional licenses last 1 year and Class 5B and 5C last 3 years; none of the Class 5 licenses are renewable. Source

Renewal

Class 1 and Class 2 licenses renew with 60 professional development units (PDUs) earned during the five years the license is valid, through August 31 of the expiration year. College credit can be combined with PDUs, with each semester credit worth 15 PDUs and each quarter credit worth 10. Renewal applications are filed in TeachMT and can be submitted any time after January 1 of the year the license expires. Requirement: 60 professional development units every 5 years. Source

Teacher pay in Montana

Elementary teachers in Montana earned a median of $57,530 a year in May 2025, $6,440 below the national median of $63,970. Half of teachers in each occupation earn more than the median and half earn less. What you earn in a given district depends on its salary schedule, your experience and any graduate credits.

Annual wages, cross-industry estimates, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 state tables, retrieved through the BLS Public Data API on November 7, 2026. Special education teachers are shown separately; our guide to the online master's in special education covers the add-on and initial-license options.

Teacher shortage areas, 2026-27

Montana reported these subject areas to the US Department of Education as teacher shortage areas for the 2026-27 school year.

• Art and Music Education: Music (statewide)
• Career and Technical Education: Business Education (statewide)
• Core Subjects: Elementary Education (statewide)
• Language Arts: English (statewide)
• Mathematics: Basic and Advanced Mathematics (statewide)
• Science: General Science (statewide)
• Social Studies (statewide)
• Support Staff: Counseling (statewide)

Source: US Department of Education, Teacher Shortage Areas report, retrieved November 7, 2026.