California School Vaccine Requirements for K–12

To enroll a child in a California public or private school, you must show written proof that the child has been vaccinated against ten specific diseases, unless a licensed physician has issued a medical exemption. California school vaccine requirements cover Transitional Kindergarten through 12th grade, apply to new students and transfers alike, and are the same for public schools, private schools, child care centers, and nursery schools.¹ Personal belief and religious exemptions were eliminated in 2016.²

The Ten Required Vaccines

State law requires documented protection against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, varicella (chickenpox), and Haemophilus influenzae type b before a child can be admitted.³

The number of doses depends on the child’s age. For a typical kindergarten entry, the schedule looks like this:⁴

DTaP: five doses, or four if at least one was given on or after the fourth birthday.
Polio: four doses, or three if one was given on or after the fourth birthday.
MMR: two doses, both given on or after the first birthday.
Hepatitis B: three doses.
Varicella: two doses.

Older students transferring in at higher grade levels may need fewer doses under the age-appropriate schedules in the state regulations.

What Changes at 7th Grade

Advancing to 7th grade triggers one added requirement: a Tdap booster, given on or after the child’s seventh birthday.³ This is also the point where schools recheck the rest of the file. Varicella, polio, and MMR must still be current before the school will let the student continue.⁵

Hepatitis B is treated slightly differently. It’s required for any new school admission, but state law does not list it as a condition for the 7th grade advancement checkpoint specifically.³

Medical Exemptions Are the Only Exemption

Since SB 277 took effect on July 1, 2016, the only way to skip a required vaccine is a medical exemption issued by a licensed California physician (MD or DO).² Personal belief and religious exemptions no longer exist for school entry.

The physician must submit the exemption through CAIR-ME, the state’s electronic medical exemption system. Schools cannot accept any other form of documentation. The form has to include the physician’s license number, the medical reason tied to each specific vaccine being exempted, and whether the exemption is permanent or temporary.⁶

Exemptions don’t last forever. Each one is tied to a grade span: birth through preschool, TK/K through 6th, or 7th through 12th.⁷ When a child moves into the next span, the exemption expires and a new one has to be filed if the medical condition still applies. Temporary exemptions last no longer than one year.⁶

Homeschool and Independent Study

The vaccination requirements do not apply to students in a home-based private school or an independent study program without classroom-based instruction.³ The California Department of Education has confirmed the exemption covers both.⁸

The line gets fuzzy when independent study includes any in-person component. State law doesn’t define “classroom-based instruction,” and many programs mix off-site learning with group activities, lab days, field trips, or elective classes on campus. A school is considered nonclassroom-based if 80% or more of learning happens off site, but whether occasional in-person attendance pulls a student back under the vaccination rules is unsettled. If your child’s program has any in-person element, ask the school directly how they apply the requirement.

What Counts as Proof

Schools need written documentation of every dose. Three formats are accepted:⁵

The California Immunization Record, the yellow-and-blue CDPH 286 form (the “Blue Card”) that many pediatrician offices use.
A doctor or clinic printout listing each vaccine and the date it was given.
A printout from the California Immunization Registry (CAIR), which many providers update automatically.

Whichever format you use, it needs the child’s full name, date of birth, each vaccine type, and each dose date. School staff check that record against the dose tables in state regulations.⁴ Missing dates or unclear vaccine names typically get sent back for clarification rather than waved through.

Conditional Admission for Children Mid-Series

A child who has started the required vaccines but hasn’t finished every dose can be admitted conditionally. This is not a workaround. The child must have received at least one dose of every required vaccine, and cannot currently be due for another dose at the moment of enrollment.⁹ The child is on schedule; the next dose just isn’t due yet.

Schools have to review conditionally admitted students’ records at least every 30 days and notify parents about remaining doses.⁹ If a dose isn’t completed by the deadline, the school is required by law to exclude the student until they catch up or obtain a medical exemption.¹⁰ Exclusion is mandatory once the deadline passes; the school has no discretion to let it slide.

Paying for the Vaccines

Private health insurance plans must cover every vaccine recommended by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices with no copay, deductible, or cost-sharing.¹¹ Every California school-required vaccine sits within those recommendations.

For children without adequate insurance, California participates in the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, which supplies recommended vaccines at no cost. A child qualifies if they’re on Medi-Cal, uninsured, underinsured (meaning insurance doesn’t cover vaccines), or American Indian or Alaska Native.¹² VFC vaccines are available through enrolled providers statewide, including community health centers and many pediatrician offices. Ask your child’s doctor whether they’re a VFC provider, or contact your local health department to find one.

1
California Department of Public Health. California School Immunization Law
2
California Legislative Information. Senate Bill 277
3
California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code HSC 120335
4
Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 17 6025 – Unconditional Admission
5
California Department of Public Health. Shots Required for TK-12 and 7th Grade
6
California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code HSC 120372
7
California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code HSC 120370
8
California Department of Education. Immunization Requirements – Health Services and School Nursing
9
Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 17 6035 – Conditional Admission
10
California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code HSC 120375
11
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 300gg-13 – Coverage of Preventive Health Services
12
California Department of Public Health. About the VFC Program – California Vaccines for Children