Texas Law and Resources

Texas law requires that students show acceptable evidence of vaccination in order to attend a child-care facility, public or private elementary or secondary school, or college. Texas Health Steps preventive medical checkups require health-care providers to screen patients and administer immunizations according to ACIP recommendations, which include immunizations beyond those mandated for school attendance in Texas. Refer to the Appendix to download current vaccination requirements for child-care facilities, grades K-12 and college entrance.

Texas allows exemptions from the minimum vaccination standards based on medical contraindication, active duty in the U.S. military, and reasons of conscience, including religious belief. Refer to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Immunization Exemptions web page for more information and to request exemption forms.

Medical exemptions

Texas law allows physicians to provide medical exemptions stating that a required vaccine would be medically harmful or injurious to the health and well-being of a child or household member. Physicians must submit a written statement to the school. The exemption statement is valid for one year from the date signed by the physician, unless the physician affirms in the statement that a lifelong condition exists.

Other exemptions

State law allows individuals on active duty with the U.S. armed forces to claim an exemption from vaccination requirements. The exemption does not extend to dependents of active-duty military members.

Parents or guardians may claim an exemption for reasons of conscience, including religious belief, by submitting a notarized affidavit to the school. The affidavit is valid for two years. A child or student who is unvaccinated for reasons of conscience may be excluded from school in case of a public health emergency or epidemic.

Some areas of Texas have unusually high numbers of conscientious exemptions, according to the DSHS 2018-2019 Texas Annual Report of Immunization Status, Kindergarten through 12th Grade. Travis County and its capital city of Austin have schools with unusually high percentages of students exempted from vaccination. Over 35 percent (37.54 percent) of the students at the private Austin Waldorf School—the highest school percentage in the state—have exemptions, and more than one in three students at the private school Dripping Springs Christian (35.94 percent) have exemptions.

Approximately one-third of students in some suburban private schools near other large cities such as Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio and some private schools in rural areas such as the Texas Hill Country also have conscientious exemptions from vaccination.