National Immunization Awareness Month occurs each August, as families and school communities are busy gearing up for a new academic year and settling into the routines that will set them up for success.
This preparation period offers the perfect opportunity for schools, as well as parents and guardians, to review student vaccination records, particularly at “check point” grades. California law requires all children enrolled in schools, both public and private, to have certain doctor-recommended immunizations, or receive them when they enroll.
“California schools are required to check immunization records for all new student admissions at transitional kindergarten (TK)/Kindergarten through 12th grade and all students advancing to seventh grade before entry,” according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). “Parents must show their child’s Immunization Record as proof of immunization.”
The immunizations required for admittance to TK/K-12 include polio (IPV or OPV); diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP, DTP, Tdap or Td); measles, mumps and rubella (MMR); hepatitis B; and varicella (chickenpox). To advance to seventh grade, students must receive the Tdap whooping cough booster and proof of two doses of the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, according to the CDPH.
The agency states that having immunization requirements for school entry helps protect children and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases.
The CDPH’s Shots for Schools webpage — which includes deadlines, answers to frequently asked questions, sample communications materials and more — can be found on the agency’s website at bit.ly/44bSkiZ.
According to a report from the CDPH on kindergarten immunization for 2024–25 (the most recent available), schools provided the immunization status of 590,849 kindergarten students — 93.7 percent of whom had received all required immunizations, similar to 2023–24.
“Statewide rates for specific immunizations remained high: 95.1 percent for required doses of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP), 95.7 percent for varicella, 96 percent for polio, 96.1 percent for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), and 97.2 percent for hepatitis B,” according to the report. “Rates continue to vary widely by county. Among students reported as missing required immunizations in 2024–25, the proportions of conditional entrants, 1.9 percent, and overdue, 1.2 percent, were lower than in 2023–24. Permanent medical exemption rates remained at 0.1 percent. The proportion of students reported as lacking immunizations and receiving individualized education program [IEP] services, attending a home-based private school, or a public independent study program without classroom-based instruction increased to 3.1 percent.”
The state’s immunization rates were higher than national rates reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Among incoming seventh grade students, a separate report reflecting 2020–21 and 2021–22 (years impacted by pandemic-related disruptions) found that the proportion of pupils who had received the Tdap immunization dropped slightly from 97.3 percent in 2019–20 to 95.9 percent in 2021–22. The immunization rate for varicella remained similar year-over-year and was 97.2 percent in 2021–22.
In reaction to the CDC’s action to revise the Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule in January 2026, the CDPH announced at the time that it would continue to recommend vaccinations in alignment with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule.
“California school and childcare vaccine requirements remain the same despite recent federal changes,” the CDPH website states. “All vaccines recommended by CDPH, including those required for childcare or school, continue to be covered by insurance in California.”
California’s vaccination laws
In 2015, California passed Senate Bill 277, which eliminated personal belief and religious exemptions. Noticing an uptick in new medical exemptions, the Legislature passed SB 276, enacted Jan. 1, 2020, allowing the state some oversight of medical exemptions written for students attending public and private schools and day care centers. The law requires a clinically trained physician, surgeon or registered nurse from the CDPH to annually review immunization reports from schools and institutions to identify those with an overall immunization rate of less than 95 percent; doctors who submitted five or more medical exemption forms in a calendar year; and schools and institutions that do not report immunization rates to the department. The law also prohibits doctors from charging any fees for vaccination-related exams or forms related to such dispensation.
If a CDPH staff member finds that a medical exemption is inappropriate or otherwise invalid, it will be reviewed by the state public health officer or their physician/surgeon designee and revoked under prescribed circumstances. Medical exemptions written before Jan. 1, 2020, are not under state review, but new medical exemptions are required when a child enters kindergarten, seventh grade or changes schools.
In 2021, the state created an online portal to send immunization records directly to the CDPH; the portal also allows school administrators access once a child attending the school has been issued a medical exemption in the system.
LEAs should have a process in place to check vaccination records at the designated checkpoints: when children newly enroll in the district, enroll in transitional kindergarten/kindergarten and when students advance to seventh grade. Schools are required to document each student’s vaccination history and the vaccination record of each student enrolled conditionally must be reviewed regularly to ensure they receive their immunizations by the required time.
Students who fail to receive their immunizations by the designated date will be prohibited from attending school. It is important to note that the CDPH directs that, “students who have an individualized education program may continue to receive all necessary services identified in their IEP regardless of their immunization status.”
