Your Teaching Career. Montana's Best Classrooms.
Kalispell Public Schools offers innovative programs, dedicated mentorship, competitive compensation, and an unmatched quality of life. Right at the gateway to Glacier National Park.
A Great Place to Learn, Live, and Work
Montana Licensure
Pathways to Licensure
📚
Student Teaching
Semester-long university placement with KPS schools
🎓
Montana Teacher Residency Program
Yearlong Residency • $400/month Housing Stipend • Partial Tuition Waiver
📅
Duration & Timeline
12–16 Weeks
- Single semester
- Usually starts after the school year begins
📅
Duration & Timeline
Full School Year (10 Months)
- Complete academic year
- Starts with staff meetings before students begin school
🤝
Placement & Mentorship
Student Teacher (Observer to Lead)
- Paired with cooperating teacher
- Rotation or single placement
- Experience can vary
🤝
Placement & Mentorship
Resident & Teacher Leader (Observer to Lead)
- Paired for full year with expert Teacher Leader
- Single placement (rotation placement possible with college/university approval)
- Immersion from Day One
💰
Financial Support
Typically Unpaid
- Financial support not guaranteed
- Scholarships or grants may be available through the college/university
💰
Financial Support
Yearlong Residency
- $4,000 Housing Stipend
- Last-dollar tuition waiver
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Coursework Integration
Separate Coursework
- Coursework is completed outside of school day
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Coursework Integration
Integrated 80/20 Model
- 80% of school week in classroom, 20% of school week out of the classroom to complete coursework
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Commitment after Student Teaching
No Post-Program Commitment
- Find own teaching position — employment may be offered in host district
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Commitment after Residency
3-Year Commitment to Teach in Montana
- Find own teaching position — employment may be offered in host district
Common Goal
Final Clinical Experience Leading to Initial Montana Teacher Licensure
2025–26 School Year
5,928 Students
Across Kalispell Public Schools District #5
Who You'll Work With
🏫
900
Total KPS Employees
Across all schools & district offices
🎓
433
Certificated Staff
Teachers, psychologists, SLPs, special educators & nurses
Where You Could Teach
Teaching Opportunities by Grade Level
KPS welcomes student teachers and residents across all grade levels and core subjects. Explore where your certification could take you.
OPI Recognition
Transformational Learning Grant — Phase II
KPS was selected by the Montana Office of Public Instruction as a Phase II Transformational Learning Grant recipient, a testament to the district's leadership in innovative education.
$709,221.94
Awarded by OPI
Transformational Learning Grant · Phase II
Teaching at the Frontier of Montana Education
The joint KPS–KEA Transformational Learning Grant funds bold initiatives in competency-based education, educator professional development, and student-centered learning design. When you join KPS, you join a district on the leading edge of what's possible in a classroom.
🏆 Represents 35% of all innovative grant funds issued by OPI for the 2025–26 school year
Educator Support
K.E.E.P. — Kalispell Educator Excellence Program
KPS's structured induction and mentoring program is designed to support, encourage, mentor, challenge, inspire, and sustain every new educator from day one and beyond.
You Won't Start Alone
The K.E.E.P. program pairs new certified staff with experienced mentors, builds community through structured events, and invests in your professional growth through the entire induction journey.
Year One
- Assigned mentor within your home school
- 4 induction workshops (including full-day sessions)
- Educator Orientation at Glacier High School
- KEA Social, personal team visits & Mid-Year Merriment
Year Two
- 3 half-day training sessions
- Mental health, evaluation process & contract language
- Strategies to enhance your own teaching skills
- Continued mentor relationship
🤝
Mentoring + Induction =
✓ Educator Commitment & Retention
✓ Stronger Instructional Practices
✓ Improved Student Achievement
The K–12 Career Pathway
Your Role in the Journey
At KPS, teachers don't just deliver content — they architect real-world learning experiences that connect students to careers from kindergarten through graduation. Here's where you fit in.
Explore Work-Based Learning at KPSCareer AwarenessGrades K–5
Career ExplorationGrades 6–8
Career PreparationGrades 9–10
Career ImplementationGrades 11–12
Grades K–5
Career Awareness
Building curiosity
Through KPS's Extended Classroom Experience (ECE) program, elementary students participate in 650+ guided classroom experiences and 15,000+ individual student touchpoints each year — visiting businesses, meeting professionals, and building early curiosity about careers and community.
650+ ECE experiences annually15,000+ individual student touchpointsCommunity presenters in classroomsHands-on community service
Grades 6–8
Career Exploration
Discovering interests
Middle school students dive deeper — exploring careers through job shadowing, community service, and career-focused classroom activities. Students begin identifying their strengths and narrowing their interests before high school pathways begin.
Job shadowing & site visitsCareer-focused projectsCommunity service with career contextCareer planning introduction
Grades 9–10
Career Preparation
Building skills
Freshmen and sophomores engage through job shadowing, job interviewing, community service, and vocational coursework. Students begin building professional skills and industry connections aligned to their interests.
Job shadowing & informational interviewsVocational & CTE courseworkSpecialized education pathsProfessional skills development
Grades 11–12
Career Implementation
Real-world experience
The culmination of the K–12 pathway. Juniors and seniors apply for internships, apprenticeships, and work-based learning placements with 200+ Flathead Valley partners, gaining authentic workplace experience, professional mentorship, and a competitive edge before graduation.
275+ internships placed this year200+ partner sites60+ career fieldsReal workplace mentorship
Annual Conference
Doris Mountain Summit
KPS hosts the premier competency-based education conference in Northwest Montana. As a KPS educator or prospective resident, you're invited to be part of it.
Where Educators Gather to Rethink Learning
The Doris Mountain Summit brings together educators, administrators, and innovators from across the region to explore Personalized Competency-Based Education, the Profile of a Graduate framework, and the future of teaching and learning.
- Focused on PCBE and student-centered learning design
- Collaborative sessions for teachers at all experience levels
- Open to UM, UM Western & MSU candidates — free this year
- 📅 June 24 & 25 · Flathead Valley, Montana
Life in the Flathead
Things to Do Within an Hour of Kalispell
Kalispell isn't just a great place to teach — it's one of the most stunning places to live in the country.
🏔️
Glacier National Park
World-class hiking, wildlife, and views — about an hour away.
⛷️
Whitefish Mountain Resort
World-class skiing just 25 minutes from Kalispell.
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Flathead Lake
The largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi.
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Fishing & Rivers
Trophy trout rivers and lakes just minutes away.
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Biking & Trails
Hundreds of miles of singletrack and rail trails year-round.
🍺
Vibrant Downtown
Local restaurants, breweries, farmers markets, and arts scene.
Get in Touch
Eden Roberts
Human Resources Generalist