Saving lives together

Not so long ago, childhood diseases like whooping cough, chicken pox, measles, mumps and rubella claimed the lives of thousands of American children every year. Many children who survived were left with scars or chronic health problems.

Anti-vax politics vs saving lives

Schools have made those scourges a thing of the past through universal vaccination — one of the most successful medical interventions in human history. By ensuring that all children are vaccinated, these terrible diseases became rare — the stuff of history lessons, not daily news.

As schools get started each year, part of the work of keeping kids safe involves an important bit of paperwork: ensuring that each student has been properly immunized. The beneficial impact of this policy has been massive.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “Among children born during 1994–2023, routine childhood vaccinations will have prevented approximately 508 million cases of illness, 32 million hospitalizations, and 1,129,000 deaths, resulting in direct savings of $540 billion and societal savings of $2.7 trillion.”

Students in California must be vaccinated to attend school.

The "anti-vax" movement remains dangerous

Despite this success, or perhaps because of it, it's easy to assume that "old" diseases are no longer a threat. Some public figures (notably Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) have made themselves famous, or infamous, by sowing doubt about whether vaccinations are safe or necessary. Doubt causes hesitation, and vaccination rates have declined in some places. Until 2016 it was legal for parents in California to enroll unvaccinated children in public school simply by registering a personal belief statement. An outbreak of measles in 2025-26 is an important reminder: these diseases are still a deadly reality.

If they are allowed to come back, children will die.

To protect children and the general public, in California each child must be immunized unless there is a specific, medically valid reason to leave them vulnerable. Prior to 2016, the rules were fuzzy: families could “exempt” their children from vaccination on the basis of “personal belief.” Unfortunately, doubt is contagious. Gradually, "pockets" developed where outbreaks could begin and spread. In 2016 the California Legislature tightened the rules. Parents can still leave their kids unprotected, but only based on "physical condition or medical circumstances." When the California Department of Health enforced the law, public safety from outbreaks improved.

Each School Counts

According to the California Department of Public Health, at least 95% of children at each school must be immunized to prevent transmission of disease.

Outbreaks are most likely in school communities where anti-vaccination beliefs take root. If groups of parents take measures to “exempt” their children from protection, diseases are more likely to spread.

Check your school's immunization rate

In most schools, immunization rates are safely above the levels recommended by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). For county-level data about kindergarten vaccination vulnerability, see CDPH maps. Schools known to be vulnerable tend to have relatively small enrollment, and tend to be located in rural areas. Some schools

Is your school among those susceptible to an outbreak? CDPH audit assessment results are public data for grades K and 7. If your school has failed to report data or doesn't meet standards, it's on the list.

Schools that fail to get students vaccinated lose attendance funding for them. In 2026, EdSource reported that the total amount lost funding for schools amounted to more than $2 million.

In the past, CDPH has presented vaccination rate data in the form of a map of schools, but as of this writing in 2026 the site is too far out of date to be worth much.

What about flu and COVID vaccinations?

Flu and COVID viruses can both be fatal, but vaccinations for these diseases are not required for enrollment in California schools.

Does that mean students shouldn't get vaccinated? Far from it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children be vaccinated every year: "Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every [flu] season with rare exceptions. Vaccination is particularly important for people who are at higher risk of serious complications from influenza." The CDC guidance is almost the same for COVID.

As of 2026, public confidence in guidance from the CDC has declined under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who has been inconsistent in support of universal vaccination policies. In response, states have formed alliances to provide guidance to their residents about which immunizations they recommend or require.

Which vaccinations are required in California?

Required immunizations vary by age.

What do other states require?

Vaccines work through herd immunity. To work, they have to be widely used, and the US Supreme Court ruled in 1905 that states have the authority to require them. Even so, such mandates always been controversial. According to the National Academy for State Health Policy, state legislatures in Florida, Texas, and 19 other states have banned schools from requiring vaccination against Covid.

If you find that your school community has a lot of unvaccinated children or faculty members, be thoughtful about how you approach the problem. Changing someone's mind can be difficult. A clumsy confrontation can make it even harder. A podcast episode from Hidden Brain, Facts Aren't Enough, might be of use.

Updated March 2026.