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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.