Texas Minimum State Vaccine Requirements for Students Grades K-12
This chart summarizes the vaccine requirements incorporated in the Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Title 25 Health Services, §§97.61-97.72. This document is not intended as a substitute for the TAC, which has other provisions and details. The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is granted authority to set immunization requirements by the Texas Education Code, Chapter 38.
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2023-2024 Immunization Requirements for Schools
A student shall show acceptable evidence of vaccination prior to entry, attendance, or transfer to a child-care facility or public or private elementary or secondary school in Texas.
- For college and university requirements, please see Texas Minimum State Vaccine Requirements for College Entry
- For child-care facility requirements, please see Texas Minimum State Vaccine Requirements for Child-Care Facilities
Download this Chart in PDF Format
| Vaccine Required (Attention to notes and footnotes) |
Minimum Number of Doses Required by Grade Level | NOTES | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| K - 6th | 7th | 8th - 12th | ||
| Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis (DTaP/DTP/DT/Td/Tdap) 1 |
5 doses or 4 doses | 3 dose primary series and 1 Tdap/Td booster within last 5 years | 3 dose primary series and 1 Tdap/Td booster within last 10 years |
For K — 6th grade: 5 doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine; 1 dose must have been received on or after the 4th birthday. However, 4 doses meet the requirement if the 4th dose was received on or after the 4th birthday. For students aged 7 years and older, 3 doses meet the requirement if 1 dose was received on or after the 4th birthday. For 7th grade: 1 dose of Tdap is required if at least 5 years have passed since the last dose of tetanus-containing vaccine. For 8th — 12th grade: 1 dose of Tdap is required when 10 years have passed since the last dose of tetanus-containing vaccine. Td is acceptable in place of Tdap if a medical contraindication to pertussis exists. |
| Polio 1 | 4 doses or 3 doses | For K — 12th grade: 4 doses of polio; 1 dose must be received on or after the 4th birthday. However, 3 doses meet the requirement if the 3rd dose was received on or after the 4th birthday. | ||
| Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) 1, 2 | 2 doses |
For K — 12 grade: 2 doses are required, with the 1st dose received on or after the 1st birthday. Students vaccinated prior to 2009 with 2 doses of measles and one dose each of rubella and mumps satisfy this requirement. |
||
| Hepatitis B 2 | 3 doses | For students aged 11 — 15 years, 2 doses meet the requirement if adult hepatitis B vaccine (Recombivax®) was received. Dosage (10 mcg / 1.0 mL) and type of vaccine (Recombivax®) must be clearly documented. If Recombivax® was not the vaccine received, a 3-dose series is required. | ||
| Varicella 1, 2, 3 | 2 doses |
The 1st dose of varicella must be received on or after the 1st birthday. For K — 12th grade: 2 doses are required. |
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| Meningococcal (MCV4)1 | Not Required | 1 dose |
For 7th — 12th grade, 1 dose of quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine is required on or after the student’s 11th birthday. Note: If a student received the vaccine at 10 years of age, this will satisfy the requirement. |
|
| Hepatitis A 1, 2 |
2 doses |
The 1st dose of hepatitis A must be received on or after the 1st birthday. For K — 12th grade: 2 doses are required. |
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Footnotes
1. Receipt of the dose up to (and including) 4 days before the birthday will satisfy the school entry immunization requirement.
2. 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.
3. 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.
Exemptions
Texas law allows (a) physicians to write medical exemption statements which clearly state a medical reason exists and the person cannot receive specific vaccines, and (b) parents/guardians to choose an exemption from immunization requirements for reasons of conscience, including a religious belief. The law does not allow parents/guardians to elect an exemption simply because of inconvenience (for example, a record is lost or incomplete and it is too much trouble to go to a physician or clinic to correct the problem). Schools should maintain an up-to-date list of students with exemptions, so they may be excluded in times of emergency or epidemic declared by the commissioner of public health.
Instructions for requesting the official exemption affidavit that must be signed by parents/guardians choosing the exemption for reasons of conscience, including a religious belief, can be found on the Exemption Information page of this website. Original Exemption Affidavit must be completed and submitted to the school.
For children claiming medical exemptions, a written statement by the physician must be submitted to the school. Unless it is written in the statement that a lifelong condition exists, the exemption statement is valid for only one year from the date signed by the physician. More information regarding medical exemptions can be found on the Exemption Information page of this website. Original Exemption Affidavit must be completed and submitted to the school.
Provisional Enrollment
All immunizations should be completed by the first date of attendance. The law requires that students be fully vaccinated against the specified diseases. A student may be enrolled provisionally if the student has an immunization record that indicates the student has received at least one dose of each specified age-appropriate vaccine required by this rule. Student must not be overdue for next dose in series to be considered provisional. To remain enrolled, the student must complete the required subsequent doses in each vaccine series on schedule and as rapidly as is medically feasible and provide acceptable evidence of vaccination to the school. A school nurse or school administrator shall review the immunization status of a provisionally enrolled student every 30 days to ensure continued compliance in completing the required doses of vaccination. If, at the end of the 30-day period, a student has not received a subsequent dose of vaccine, the student is not in compliance and the school shall exclude the student from school attendance until the required dose is administered.
Additional guidelines for provisional enrollment of students transferring from one Texas public or private school to another, students who are dependents of active duty military, students in foster care, and students who are homeless can be found in the TAC, Title 25 Health Services, Sections 97.66 and 97.69.
For further help and guidance, please see the Provisional Enrollment Flowchart (PDF) and Provisional Enrollment Dosing Schedule (PDF).
Documentation
Since many types of personal immunization records are in use, any document will be acceptable provided a physician or public health personnel has validated it. The month, day, and year that the vaccination was received must be recorded on all school immunization records created or updated after September 1, 1991.
Further Help and Resources
For further assistance, please see Frequently Asked Questions on the Changes to 2016 - 2017 Texas Minimum State Vaccine Requirements for Students in Grades K - 12.