State review · Data version 2026.10.19.5 · October 2026

Montana

No K-8 personal-finance standards found

Montana's administrative rules require a half unit of economics or financial literacy within the grade 9-12 graduation units (ARM 10.55.905, effective July 1, 2025), and MCA 20-1-102(9) is only a goal. The K-8 math items that mention money are coin and money arithmetic and the social studies economics standards name no earning, saving, spending, budgeting, credit or borrowing concept, so the two-grade-level rule is not met.

Statuses come from published law and standards and an automated second check, not a lawyer. Last verified: 2026-10-19. Report a correction

What the law says

Requirement coverage

Earliest grade covered: Grade 9
Grade range: grades 9-12

Describes the instruction requirement found in law, not the standards. It may reach at least one grade before ninth (the earliest grade is shown, and some start only in grade 6 or 7), no grade at all (not specified), or high school only. \u201cOffer courses\u201d means the law says districts must offer the courses or instruction, not that every student must receive it.

Grades K-8

Grades where K-8 content was confirmed: None found
Standards document: Montana Mathematics Content Standards, Appendix C: Financial Literacy Across the K-12 Mathematics Standards (2025)
Required by law: No
Delivery: Not stated
Assessed: Not determined
Funded: Not determined

Explicit financial-literacy standards: MT.K.MD.4, MT.1.MD.4, MT.2.MD.8, MT.4.MD.2, MT.7.RP.3; none listed as explicit for grades 3, 5, 6, 8 (other standards 'could address' it in context). MCA 20-1-102(9), as amended by Ch. 387 L. 2023, is a legislative goal. ARM 10.55.901 and 10.55.902 (K-8 program rules) text could not be read; the Education Interim Committee summary of the 2023 rule changes lists no financial literacy change to them. Montana social studies and CTE K-8 standards were not reviewed.

Grades 9-12

Graduation requirement: Yes
Course length: One-half unit of economics or financial literacy within the existing 20-unit requirement (social studies, math or CTE)
Effective date: Rules effective 2023-07-01; subsections 10.55.905(2)(c) and (2)(h) effective 2025-07-01; graduating class of 2026 first affected

Both ARM 10.55.904 (high school program offerings) and ARM 10.55.905 (graduation requirements) carry the half unit per the legislative summary; the Board's supplemental notice identifies 10.55.905(2)(h) as the economics or financial literacy subsection. The rule text itself on rules.mt.gov could not be read.

What’s missing for K-8

The sources reviewed show a requirement for high school. No requirement for any grade before ninth, and no K-8 standards naming a personal-finance concept at two or more grade levels, were found. That describes what was found, not proof that none exist.

Pending bills

No pending bills were identified. This is not an exhaustive legislative search.

How to read the status

Status key

Requirement before grade 9: A statute or rule requires financial education and reaches at least one grade before ninth. Some start only in grade 6 or 7; the earliest grade is shown with the label.
Requirement, grades not specified: A statute or rule says students shall receive financial-literacy instruction but names no grade, so it is not confirmed to reach K-8.
K-8 standards only: State standards name a personal-finance concept at two or more K-8 grade levels, but no requirement to teach it was found.
No K-8 personal-finance standards found: A high school requirement exists, but no requirement for any grade before ninth and no K-8 standards naming a personal-finance concept at two or more grade levels were found. This describes what was found, not proof that none exist.
Study or pilot only: A task force, study, pilot, or unfunded permission exists, without a requirement.
None found: No state-level requirement or standards were found. The searches run are recorded.
Under review: Not yet confirmed. Sources found so far are shown and no status is stated.
Research in progress: This state has not been researched yet.

Sources

Montana Legislature (Montana Code Annotated). MCA 20-1-102(9) (Legislative goals for public elementary and secondary schools). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
“supports instruction of financial literacy, where students obtain the knowledge and skills required to succeed financially; and”
Montana Office of Public Instruction. Montana Mathematics Content Standards, Appendix C (OPI, 2025-07-02). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
“Standards explicitly addressing financial literacy: These standards have a direct and clear connection to financial literacy concepts.”
Montana Office of Public Instruction. Appendix C, Kindergarten. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
“Kindergarten standards that address financial literacy explicitly: MT.K.MD.4”
Montana Office of Public Instruction. Appendix C, Grade 7. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
“Grade 7 standards that address financial literacy explicitly: MT.7.RP.3”
Montana Office of Public Instruction. Appendix C (OPI, 2025-07-02); ARM 10.55.905. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
“While Montana statute 10.55.905 establishes a graduation requirement for a half-credit in personal finance or economics,”
Montana Board of Public Education (Montana Administrative Register notice). MAR Notice 10-55-290, supplemental notice of adoption (Board of Public Education), ARM 10.55.905. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
“the new requirements of ½ unit of civics or government and ½ unit of economics or financial literacy in 10.55.905”
Montana Board of Public Education (Montana Administrative Register notice). MAR Notice 10-55-290, supplemental notice, para. 2. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
“the Board has taken action to delay the effective date of subsections (2)(c) and (2)(h) of rule 10.55.905 to July 1, 2025.”
Montana Legislature, Education Interim Committee (summary of Board of Public Education rules). ARM 10.55.904 and 10.55.905 as summarized to the Education Interim Committee, Sept 2023. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
“1/2 unit of economics or financial literacy within existing social studies, math, or CTE requirements”
Montana Office of Public Instruction (news.mt.gov). ARM 10.55.905; Board of Public Education action, per OPI news release. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
“The Board voted unanimously to extend the effective date of ARM 10.55.905 to July 1, 2025.”
Montana Office of Public Instruction (news.mt.gov). ARM 10.55.905; Board of Public Education action, per OPI news release. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
“This means that the graduating class of 2026 will be the first class required to complete half a unit of financial literacy or economics”
Montana Office of Public Instruction (news.mt.gov). Board of Public Education action of 2023-01-13, per OPI news release. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
“The additions carry the weight of half a unit towards graduation within the existing 20-unit requirement.”
Montana Legislature (Montana Code Annotated). MCA 20-1-102(9). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
“supports instruction of financial literacy, where students obtain the knowledge and skills required to succeed financially”

Open items are being reviewed.

Rule number resolved: both ARM 10.55.904 and 10.55.905 carry the half unit, per the Education Interim Committee summary; the Board notice names 10.55.905(2)(h). Appendix C grade lists corrected (grade 1 also has an explicit standard). The existing OPI news-release excerpts were re-checked and appear verbatim. Changed from k8_standards_only to high_school_only under the 2026-10-19 two-grade-level rule. MT.7.RP.3 mentions simple interest inside percent problems at one grade only. The operative ARM text was read through a mirror and checked against the Board of Public Education notice and OPI Appendix C because rules.mt.gov returns no text.

Suggested citation
CENTS. Montana: K-8 financial education. State-by-state review, v2026.10.19.5, October 2026. https://www.centscampaign.org/states/mt