Texas school vaccine requirements and your child’s shot record
The short answer for Texas
- Required for school
- Kindergarten to 12th grade: DTaP/Tdap, polio, MMR, hepatitis B, varicella, hepatitis A; meningococcal (MCV4) from 7th grade. Source · Official page
- Attending school, including provisional enrollment
- DSHS says these requirements must be met for a child to attend school: the student has been immunized in accordance with the rules; the student has an exemption affidavit from immunization requirements on file with the school in accordance with the rules; or the student is entitled to 30-day provisional enrollment. Unless a student meets the provisional enrollment criteria in Texas Administrative Code §97.66 and §97.69, they cannot attend until the signed, notarized Exemption Affidavit is on file with the school. For Hepatitis A, if the student has 1 dose at time of enrollment in K-12, the child may be provisionally enrolled if the first dose was received in the last 6 months; once provisionally enrolled, the child must receive the 2nd dose as rapidly as medically feasible, which in this case is 6 months after the first dose. If more than 6 months have lapsed since the first dose, the child should not be enrolled (provisionally or otherwise) until the 2nd dose is received. Source
- Get the record
- To request your child's record, complete the appropriate form and return it to your health care provider or local health department, or email the request to the address DSHS gives. DSHS lists its forms under “Where can I request my vaccine record?”, including F11-11406, Immunization Registry (ImmTrac2) Authorization to Release Official Immunization History. Source · Official page
Checked 11 Nov 2026 against the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) pages. The federal schedule is in court: see what cdc.gov shows today and what changed.
In Texas you ask for a record with a form, and the school rules are set out by grade.
Run by Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Registry: ImmTrac2. All facts on this page were checked on or after 11 Nov 2026.
From the record to the school
Get your child’s record
School and child care rules
| Vaccine required | Kindergarten - Sixth | Seventh | Eighth - 12th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis (DTaP/DTP/DT/Td/Tdap)1 | Five doses or four doses | Three dose primary series and one booster dose of Tdap / Td within the last five years | Three dose primary series and one booster dose of Tdap / Td within the last ten years |
| Polio1 | Four doses or three doses | ||
| Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR)1,2 | Two doses | ||
| Hepatitis B2 | Three doses | ||
| Varicella1,2,3 | Two doses | ||
| Meningococcal (MCV4)1 | --- | One dose | |
| Hepatitis A1,2 | Two doses | ||
- Receipt of the dose up to (and including) 4 days before the birthday will satisfy the school entry immunization requirement.
- Serologic evidence of infection or serologic confirmation of immunity to measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, hepatitis A, or varicella is acceptable in place of vaccine.
- Previous illness may be documented with a written statement from a physician, school nurse, or the child’s parent or guardian containing wording such as: “This is to verify that (name of student) had varicella disease (chickenpox) on or about (date) and does not need varicella vaccine.” This written statement will be acceptable in place of any and all varicella vaccine doses required.
The chart as Texas publishes it, checked 12 Nov 2026.[S1]
The state’s chart, word for word
“Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis (DTaP/DTP/DT/Td/Tdap) 1 Five doses or four doses Three dose primary series and one booster dose of Tdap / Td within the last five years Three dose primary series and one booster dose of Tdap / Td within the last ten years Polio 1 Four doses or three doses Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) 1,2 Two doses Hepatitis B2 Three doses Varicella1,2,3 Two doses Meningococcal (MCV4) 1 --- One dose Hepatitis A 1,2 Two doses”
- Required vaccines Child care and pre-kindergarten: DTaP, polio, hepatitis B, Hib, pneumococcal (PCV), MMR, varicella, hepatitis A[S1]
- Deadline Child care: for Hepatitis A, there is an 18-month window between dose 1 and dose 2, with the first dose required by 25 months of age and the 2nd dose by 43 months[S1]
- Deadline A blank immunization exemption affidavit is valid for two years from the date it is notarized; DSHS says exemption requests submitted through fax, online or in person are processed and mailed within approximately three weeks, and a request made in person may be picked up the same day[S2]
- Good to know A written statement from a physician, school nurse, or the child's parent or guardian that the child had chickenpox can be accepted in place of the varicella vaccine doses[S1]
- Recent change Beginning 1 September 2025 (HB 1586), blank immunization exemption affidavit forms may be downloaded from the DSHS website; the option to request a form from DSHS remains[S2]
Sources: S1. dshs.texas.gov/requirements, S2. dshs.texas.gov/exemptions
Exemptions
- Texas law allows exclusion on an individual basis for medical contraindications, for reasons of conscience including religious belief, and for armed-forces active duty
Sources: dshs.texas.gov
Other states: California, Florida, Colorado, Wisconsin. All states.