The short version: your child must turn 5 on or before September 10 to start kindergarten in Bozeman public schools this fall, per the district’s enrollment page. You enroll through the district's PowerSchool portal with five documents, but all three enrollment rounds for 2026-27 closed on August 31. The enrollment page does not list a round after that, so if you are starting now, call the Enrollment Office at 406-522-6005 or email elem.registrar@bsd7.org instead of working through the form and waiting. One more thing worth knowing, and worth planning for next year: kindergarten started Thursday, September 3, three days after grades 1–12 went back on August 31. If you have kids in both, that gap is three weekday mornings to cover.
Step 1: Check the age rule
Age 5 on or before September 10 (district enrollment page). The district’s enrollment page lists no early-entry path. If you think your child is a candidate for early entrance, ask the district directly, since practices vary. If your kid is 4 by September 10 and money is tight, look at Running Start, the district's free, income-qualified pre-K program.
Step 2: Figure out your school
Eight elementaries: Emily Dickinson, Hawthorne, Hyalite, Irving, Longfellow, Meadowlark, Morning Star, Whittier. Your address determines your school via the boundary map. Fair warning: it's a Google My Maps with several layers stacked. Uncheck the county layer or you can't read it. And note the district's caveat: boundaries don't guarantee placement; late-round enrollees can be placed where there's room.
Step 3: Gather the five documents
- Proof of residency (an energy or water bill, a lease, or a buy/sell agreement)
- Certified birth certificate
- Immunization record. Montana requires DTaP, polio, MMR, and varicella (medical or religious exemptions only; there is no personal-belief exemption)
- IEP or 504 plan, if your child has one
- Custody/court documents, if applicable
Step 4: Apply in PowerSchool
Enrollment runs through the district's PowerSchool application (you'll create a Parent Portal account you'll use for the next 13 years; save the password). The district processes applications in three rounds: Round 1: January 1 – March 9 · Round 2: March 10 – May 1 · Round 3: May 2 – August 31. Earlier rounds get placement priority. All three closed for 2026-27 on August 31. Heads up: the rounds table marks Round 1 as closed and leaves the other two unmarked, so it can read as though Round 3 is open. Round 3 ended August 31. The enrollment page does not lay out a route after that date, which is why the phone is the faster path than the form.
Step 5: Mark the real first day
Per the official 2026-27 calendar: grades 1–12 started Monday, August 31; kindergarten started Thursday, September 3. The gap is intentional (those are kindergarten orientation and assessment days), and it’s easy to miss on the calendar. The calendar tool has every date for the year, with a kindergarten filter.
While you're at it
- Bus: if you live over a mile out, register through the transportation office. Allow a week's lead time.
- Meals: apply for free/reduced lunch at MySchoolApps even if you're unsure you qualify. Applications also drive school funding.
- After-school care: kidsLINK (Greater Gallatin United Way) runs aftercare at every BSD7 elementary; before-care is at some schools, and its pricing page lists six (Emily Dickinson, Hyalite, Irving, Meadowlark, Morning Star, Whittier).
I'm a Bozeman parent writing independently. Not affiliated with BSD7. Details verified against district pages linked above on September 8, 2026; if the district changes something, tell me and I'll fix it same-day.
