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Why School Vaccination Assessments are Important
School vaccination assessment is a local-level data reporting system implemented as part of state or local school vaccination requirements. States and local areas put school vaccination requirements in place to minimize the risk from vaccine-preventable diseases. School vaccination requirements help safeguard children and adolescents by making sure they are protected when they get to school, where potential for vaccine-preventable disease transmission is higher.
School vaccination assessments identify pockets of under-vaccinated students. The local school and classroom level data can be used by schools and health departments to ensure high vaccination coverage and to help during a response to an epidemic, identify those students most at risk of disease, allowing them to be vaccinated and protected.
State immunization programs report aggregate school vaccination assessment data to CDC. The aggregate data are used to assess vaccination coverage and monitor the Healthy People 2030 vaccination coverage objective for vaccination coverage levels for children in kindergarten.
For Specific Groups
Many colleges and technical schools require that students are up to date on certain vaccines before enrollment. This helps prevent germs from spreading quickly in classrooms or communal living spaces. Getting vaccinated against certain preventable diseases is a safe and effective way to protect yourself. Some schools offer vaccinations, so check with your college's medical services or student health department. It is important to check requirements with your school before attending classes.
Visit State School and Childcare Vaccination Laws for information on school requirements and exemption laws.
State Web Links
More Information
- What vaccines are needed for adults my age?
- How do I find my vaccination record?
- Official copies of your vaccination record may be available in several places.
- Official copies of your vaccination record may be available in several places.
- How can I afford vaccinations?
- What if I go to school to be a health care professional?
- Recommended Vaccines for Health Care Workers
- State Immunization Laws for Health Care Workers and Patients - Summarizes state immunization laws for health care workers, correctional inmates/residents, hospital inpatients, and developmentally disabled facility residents; search for information on vaccine administration, assessment, and Hepatitis B reporting.
- Recommended Vaccines for Health Care Workers
Health care professionals play an integral role in limiting the spread of diseases prevented by vaccines. You can reduce illness among students by recommending appropriate vaccinations at every health visit, implementing standing orders, and using reminder/recall systems. Your work ensures high vaccination coverage in local schools and helps keep children safe and healthy. Learn what you as a health care provider can do to protect more children in your area.
School Vaccination Assessment Surveys
States and local areas have requirements for children to receive certain vaccines before they enter child care facilities and schools. State and local areas measure vaccination coverage among children in child care, kindergarten, and middle school annually through School Vaccination Assessment Surveys to ensure the vaccination requirements are being followed. These state and local surveys are the primary source of information on vaccination coverage of children in child care, kindergarten, and middle school. Questions, including those dealing with changes in child care and school requirements, can be answered by your state health department immunization programs.
Each school year, school nurses, other school personnel, or health department personnel review the child care and public and private school vaccination records. This may be done for every student or for a smaller sample of students. In addition, states conduct studies to validate vaccination records reported by schools. A summary of the results of coverage among children in child care facilities and schools is reported by the state and local areas to CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
SchoolVaxView Interactive!
The SchoolVaxView Interactive! reports contain data on kindergartner vaccinations, exemptions, enrollment numbers, and survey methods. The reports can be searched by school year and state. Data are also provided in the school vaccination coverage MMWR articles.
More Vaccination Information
Understand the story of vaccination coverage among school-aged children in the United States through CDC's facts and figures. Get the information you need on topics from vaccine-preventable diseases to state-required vaccination laws. If you're a member of the media, start your investigation here.
Publications and Resources
Contact CDC Media Relations
Call (404) 639-3286, e-mail or visit the media relations website for more information.
In a school setting, germs that can cause vaccine-preventable diseases can spread quickly among children. Getting the proper vaccines from a health care professional can help children's bodies guard against germs that cause illness. That's why all 50 states and the District of Columbia require certain vaccinations before a child can enroll in school. Some may require vaccinations before a child can enter child care or preschool. As a parent, you may have questions about shots, diseases shots can help prevent, and requirements. Please check with your health care provider or your school about vaccinations recommended to protect your child and your school vaccination requirements.
Visit State School and Childcare Vaccination Laws for information on exemption laws.
State Web Links
- Use this tool to link to websites for state health departments, immunization programs, and requirements.
Finding and Recording Your Child's Immunization Records
Additional Vaccination Information
Are the children in your area up to date on their vaccinations for school? Are any specific populations lagging behind in vaccination rates? Learn more about school vaccination coverage.
Why Vaccination Matters
- Vaccination is a safe, effective way to protect the children and adults within your school and community.
- Healthy People 2030 kindergarten objective
SchoolVaxView Interactive! Reports
- The SchoolVaxView Interactive! reports contain data on kindergarten vaccination, exemptions, enrollment numbers, and survey methods. The reports can be searched by school year and state. Data are provided in the school vaccination coverage MMWR articles.
My State's Vaccination Website
- Health department and immunization program websites for additional information about vaccination requirements.
Immunization Records
Sharing Immunization Information
More Vaccination Information
School Vaccination Coverage and Exemption Methods
Each school year, school nurses, other school personnel, or health department personnel check the vaccination and exemption status of kindergartners enrolled in public and private schools as required by state law or regulation. State and local immunization programs measure vaccination coverage among children entering kindergarten annually. This may be done for every student or for a sample of students.
State and local areas set the vaccination requirements. Immunization information systems (IISs) may be used as one source of data for school vaccination assessment. The school-level data are reported to the health department. The aggregate data are reported to CDC for public and private schools. Data for home-schooled students are not routinely reported to CDC.
The types of permitted exemptions vary by state. For specific details refer to School Vaccination Requirements and Exemptions.
Exemptions from state or local requirements may apply to some children. All states and the District of Columbia allow a medical exemption. A medical exemption is allowed when a child has a medical condition that prevents them from receiving a vaccine. All but three states offer nonmedical exemptions for religious or philosophical reasons. Please check with your school to learn about exemptions or visit the School Vaccination Requirements and Exemptions tool.
An exemption in the school vaccination assessment reports could mean one of several things:
- The parent refused a dose of vaccine for their child.
- The parent refused a specific vaccine series for their child.
- The parent refused all vaccines for their child. Based on available information, we believe parents refusing all vaccines for their children is an uncommon occurrence. A study of schoolchildren with nonmedical exemptions found that 75% of these children had received at least one vaccine previously. Additionally, over the past several years, vaccination coverage measured using data from the National Immunization Survey indicate that <1% of children 19–35 months received no vaccines of any type.
References
- Salmon DA, Moulton LH, Omer SB, DeHart MP, Stokley S, Halsey NA. Factors associated with refusal of childhood vaccines among parents of school-aged children. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2005;159:470-6.
- CDC. National, State, and Local Area Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 19-35 Months — United States, 2012. MMWR 2013; 62:685-693.
- See publications for additional data sources.
Other VaxView Vaccination Coverage Websites
The VaxView websites provide vaccination coverage data for all ages. Monitoring coverage for recommended vaccinations across the country helps CDC assess how well local areas, states, and the nation are protected from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Find vaccination coverage data at: