Montana school enrollment requires documented proof of immunization under state law, plus a physical examination for kindergarteners. This page covers the exact records required by Mont. Code Ann. §20-5-405, how to access MTSIIS, and what the 7th-grade Tdap/MenACWY checkpoint means for families in Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, and Bozeman.
Last verified: September 3, 2026
Under Mont. Code Ann. §20-5-405, a Montana school may not enroll a child unless the child has been immunized in accordance with the schedule adopted by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS). The certificate is a printed record from the child's healthcare provider or from Montana's immunization registry, MTSIIS.
The immunization certificate must show dated dose records for each of the following vaccine groups:
Kindergarten also requires a physical examination. Montana is one of relatively few states requiring a physical exam for kindergarten entry. The exam must be completed by a licensed healthcare provider and on file at the school. Families arriving from states without this requirement should schedule the exam before the first day of school.
Source: Montana DPHHS — School and Child Care Immunization Requirements, accessed September 3, 2026
MTSIIS (Montana State Immunization Information System) is Montana's statewide immunization registry. Healthcare providers who vaccinate children in Montana submit doses to MTSIIS electronically. A printed MTSIIS record is accepted by Montana schools as an official immunization history.
Your child's primary care provider can access MTSIIS directly and print a complete immunization history. Confirm they're accessing the MTSIIS record — not just their in-office chart — to ensure all doses, including those from other providers, are captured.
Montana county health departments have access to MTSIIS and can look up and print your child's immunization history. This is a good backup option if you're between providers or establishing care after a move.
If doses were administered outside Montana, bring those paper records or a printout from the prior state's registry to a Montana-licensed provider. They can verify the documentation and enter the doses into MTSIIS so schools can access the record.
MTSIIS tracks immunizations, not physical exams. The physical exam must be documented separately by a licensed provider. Many Montana pediatricians combine the well-child exam with vaccine administration — confirm both elements are completed at the same visit so you have both documents for enrollment day.
Full immunization certificate plus a physical examination. The physical must be completed by a licensed healthcare provider — a pediatrician, family medicine doctor, or nurse practitioner qualifies. Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, and Bozeman schools all require both before or at enrollment. Schedule the physical well in advance of the first day — pediatrician schedules fill up in August.
Two new documented doses required: Tdap booster (administered on or after the 10th birthday) and MenACWY (first dose). Both must appear on the immunization certificate submitted to the school at 7th grade entry. Schedule these in late spring or early summer so records are ready before fall registration opens.
Students transferring into a Montana school from another state must meet Montana's requirements — not just the sending state's. Out-of-state records must be verified by a Montana-licensed provider or the local health department and entered into MTSIIS before an official Montana immunization certificate can be issued to the school.
Source: Montana DPHHS — School and Child Care Immunization Requirements; Mont. Code Ann. §20-5-405, accessed September 3, 2026
Every person gets one health story, and one private Family Stork email address every clinic already knows how to use. Give it to your Billings pediatrician or Bozeman family clinic — they send records to it, and your child's immunization history builds itself into one timeline, always ready for the next enrollment checkpoint. $99/year — or about $10/month.
Start your family's timeline →$99/year · From your first heartbeat and beyond.
Under Mont. Code Ann. §20-5-405, Montana allows medical exemptions (signed by a licensed physician) and religious exemptions (signed statement from parent or guardian). Contact Montana DPHHS — School Immunization Requirements → for official exemption forms and process.
More resources:
Juggling logins across multiple hospital portals? See how Family Stork compares to MyChart — one email address vs. a different portal for every clinic.
Keep your family's entire health story in one place: family health timeline software — from first heartbeat and beyond.