Does my child have to be vaccinated for school in Kansas? See 2025-26 requirements
Kansas students are preparing to head back for a new school year amid a 33-year high of highly contagious measles cases.
Wichita Public Schools return for the 2025-26 school year Thursday, Aug. 14, and picking up school supplies is just one step to get ready for the new academic year. In order to enroll in school, students must have received seven different vaccines. In addition to those seven, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment also recommends two others.
The U.S. has seen 1,319 measles cases so far this year, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with 90 confirmed in Kansas. Two Sedgwick County cases are among them, the first since May 2017.
The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is required in Kansas schools. The vaccine is 97% effective. Children can get their first dose of the MMR vaccine at a year old, but when an area has a reported measles outbreak, children can get the vaccine as young as 6 months old.
First-time students enrolling must show an immunization record, a health examination report and a dental care card, according to Wichita Public School’s website.
What vaccines are required for Kansas students this year? Are there any exceptions? Here’s what to know.
What vaccines are required in Kansas schools?
Here’s a list of vaccines required for all K-12 students, public and private, for the 2025-26 school year:
- Diptheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTaP/Tdap)
- Hepatitis A (Hep A)
- Hepatitis B (Hep B)
- Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)
- Meningococcal-serogroup A,C,W,Y (MenACWY)
- Poliomyelitis (IPV/tOPV)
- Varicella (Chickenpox)
In addition to the requirements, KDHE also recommends the human papillomavirus vaccine, which is given in two doses at 11 years old, or three doses at 15 years old. The agency also recommends the COVID vaccine, as well as seasonal flu shots.
Are there exceptions to vaccine requirements in Kansas?
Kansas statute provides two exceptions to the vaccine requirements.
Instead of providing immunization records to your school, parents or guardians can provide a doctor’s letter instead explaining why a student cannot receive a vaccination or test due to health reasons.
Parents are also allowed to opt out for to religious reasons, but must provide a written statement explaining that the vaccinations go against the student’s religious beliefs, according to Kansas Statute 72-6262.
For all other cases, the statute reads: “every pupil enrolling or enrolled in any school for the first time in this state ... shall present to the appropriate school board certification from a physician or local health department that the pupil has received such tests and inoculations as are deemed necessary by the secretary.”
While measles cases have started to slow, Sedgwick County Health Director Adrienne Byrne told The Eagle in a July interview that ensuring your child is vaccinated is still critical.
“Even though the cases seem to be slowing, the need to be up to date on the MMR vaccine is as important as it always has been. It does not reduce the importance,” Byrne said.
