Required Vaccinations for Students
KSA 72-6262 et seq. requires proof of certain vaccinations for all students enrolling for the first time in a school, preschool, day care program operated by a school, or as designated by the Secretary of Health and Environment (Secretary). Certification must be from a licensed physician or local health department and detail that the student has received all tests and vaccines as deemed necessary by the Secretary.
The vaccinations currently required for each susceptible child are the following: Diphtheria; Hepatitis A; Hepatitis B; Measles (Rubeola); Meningitis; Mumps; Pertussis (Whooping Cough); Poliomyelitis (Polio); Rubella (German Measles); Tetanus; and Varicella (Chickenpox). The vaccination list is set out in KAR 28-1-20, and any changes to the list are required to go through the rules and regulations process. KSA 76-761a requires each college and university to have policies and procedures, including a waiver procedure, for all incoming students who reside in student housing to be vaccinated for meningitis.
Click or tap on the following charts to see vaccination rates among kindergarteners for five different vaccines:
Alternatives to the Certification of Completion
A student, in accordance with KSA 72-6262, who has not completed the required vaccinations is required to present to the school one of the following:
- A written statement, signed by a licensed physician, stating the physical condition of the child is such that the tests or inoculations would seriously endanger the life or health of the child. This statement must also be submitted annually; or
- A written statement signed by one parent or guardian that the child is an adherent of a religious denomination whose religious teachings are opposed to such vaccinations. [Note: Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools have a standardized form: Religious Exemption from Immunizations.]
2025 Measles Outbreak
In early 2025, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), Division of Public Health, recognized an outbreak of measles cases. As of August 13, 2025, the published data reflects there have been 90 total cases of measles in Kansas in 2025, and 87 of those cases are associated with the outbreak, with 12 counties having a case of measles. The ethnicity case rate reflects 7 cases in the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and 81 in the Not Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.
Cases are split by age groups as follows:
| Age Range | Cases |
|---|---|
| 0-4 | 38 |
| 5-10 | 21 |
| 11-13 | 8 |
| 14-17 | 6 |
| 18-24 | 3 |
| 25-34 | 7 |
| 35-44 | 4 |
| 45-54 | 2 |
| 55-64 | 1 |
| 65+ | 0 |
KDHE states the routine recommendation is two doses of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine with the first dose at age 12-15 months and the second dose at age 4-6 years before school entry. KDHE notes that one dose is 93 percent effective against measles, and two doses are 97 percent effective. Updated maps are available on the KDHE Measles Outbreak Dashboard for community transmission as well as the location of publicly funded MMR vaccine clinics in Kansas.
Cost of the Measles Outbreak
KDHE presented on the estimated cost of a measles outbreak at the July 2025 Robert G. (Bob) Bethell Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services and KanCare Oversight (Bethell Committee). KDHE estimated a cost of $2.6 million calculated as follows: KDHE used a review of the costs of measles outbreaks in the United States that was gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2001 to 2018 for the purpose of a simple estimate for the Bethell Committee. The review estimated the median cost per measles case at $32,805 and the median cost per contact at $223. Based on that information, KDHE estimated the cost of measles in Kansas from Jan. 1, 2025, to June 16, 2025, at a total of $2,665,432 (80 measles cases, 184 cases under public health monitoring).
Statewide Vaccine Coverage and Exemptions
The KDHE Kindergarten Immunization Dashboard reports on the following vaccines:
| Vaccine | Diseases Prevented | Number of Doses | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| DtaP | Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis | 5 doses or 4 doses considered appropriate if 4th given on or after 4th birthday | Yes |
| IPV | Polio | 4 doses or 3 doses considered appropriate if 3rd given on or after 4th birthday | Yes |
| MMR | Measles, Mumps, Rubella | 2 doses | Yes |
| Var | Varicella (Chickenpox) | 2 doses or a history of the disease | Yes |
| HepB | Hepatitis B | 3 doses | Yes |
| HepA | Hepatitis A | 2 doses | Yes |
| Required | All vaccines required for school entry | Also referred to as 542232 | Yes |
| Hib | Haemophilus Influenza type B | 3 doses recommended but not required | No |
| PCV | Streptococcus pneumonia | 4 doses recommended but not required | No |
The statewide school entry vaccine coverage by academic year for all required vaccines and the statewide exemption rate were the following:
| Academic Year | Required Vaccinations | Total Exemption Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-2020 | 89.89% | 2.12% |
| 2020-2021 | 88.54% | 1.97% |
| 2021-2022 | 87.37% | 2.27% |
| 2022-2023 | 87.22% | 2.91% |
| 2023-2024 | 86.69% | 2.99% |
Source: KDHE Kindergarten Immunization Data [Note: The data also includes a breakdown by school district and certain private schools.]
By Elizabeth Cohn and Amanda Prosser.
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