Skip to content
Philly Tips
Link copied to clipboard
Link copied to clipboard

Back to school: What vaccines do students need for school in Philly?

Students from kindergarten to 12th grade need to be vaccinated in order to attend school in Pennsylvania.

Isabella Sosa gets an immunization shot from clinical assistant Serena Atkins as her mother Emanuelle Sosa holds her hand at a Back-to-School Bus Tour event held at Edison High School on Tuesday, August 16, 2022.
Isabella Sosa gets an immunization shot from clinical assistant Serena Atkins as her mother Emanuelle Sosa holds her hand at a Back-to-School Bus Tour event held at Edison High School on Tuesday, August 16, 2022.Read moreALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Staff Photographer

Summer break is coming to a close and it’s almost time to head back to school. There’s plenty to do to prepare for the big day, but one item you might want to check off your to-do list is student vaccinations.

Students from kindergarten to 12th grade need to be vaccinated in order to attend school in Pennsylvania. This isn’t mandated by schools, it’s state law. Starting at kindergarten or whenever a student enters school, and again before 7th grade and 12th grade — students provide their school with proof of vaccination or an exemption form to comply with the law.

If a student isn’t vaccinated, they could be excluded from school. This means that if there is an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease at school, students who aren’t vaccinated may be asked to stay home — even if they have a medical, religious, or philosophical exemption from being vaccinated.

Key takeaways

  • There are vaccines all students have to get in order to attend school.
  • There are additional vaccines students have to get when they enter 7th and 12th grade.
  • Students have to provide proof of vaccination, a medical plan or an exemption form to comply with state law.
  • Students who aren't vaccinated may be excluded from school during outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.
i-circle_black

What vaccines do students need to attend school in Philly?

It might sound like a lot, but your child may have already started their series of vaccination doses. Check with your child’s doctor or health-care provider to see where they’re at on their vaccination series or “schedule.” Here’s the vaccines a student needs to attend school at any grade level, and additional ones they’ll need to enter 7th and 12th grades.

Vaccines all students need:

  1. Five doses of tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (one dose on or after the 4th birthday)

  2. Four doses of polio (fourth dose on or after 4th birthday and at least six months after previous dose given)

  3. Two doses of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)

  4. Three doses of hepatitis B

  5. Two doses of varicella (chickenpox) or evidence of immunity

Do students need all of these doses?

On the first day of school, a student needs to have at least one dose of the above vaccines. If the student needs additional doses of a vaccine, and it’s medically appropriate, they should schedule to have the next vaccine dose within the first five school days. If the next dose isn’t the final dose, students need to provide a medical plan in the first week of school for when they will complete their vaccination series.

i-circle_black

Additional vaccines students need to enter 7th grade:

  1. One dose of tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap)

  2. One dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV)

Additional vaccines students need to enter 12th grade:

  1. One dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV) — unless one dose was given at age 16 or older, that will count as the 12th-grade dose.

Do students need to get the COVID-19 vaccine before attending school?

No. Although it is encouraged for everyone ages 6 months and older to get vaccinated to help stop the spread of coronavirus, students don’t need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend school.

Do students need to get the monkeypox vaccine before attending school?

No. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that children may be eligible for vaccination if they are exposed to monkeypox. But students don’t need to be vaccinated against monkeypox to attend school.

Where can a student get vaccinated?

If your child is insured, then you should contact your child’s doctor. Many pharmacies also offer the vaccines your child needs to attend school. Schedule a wellness visit with a doctor or a vaccine appointment with a pharmacy to get your child vaccinated.

What if the student is uninsured?

You can get your child vaccinated at City Health Centers or Federally Qualified Health Centers in Philly. Services are free or low-cost at these facilities, and they can also help you get affordable health insurance.

How to provide proof of vaccination to the School District of Philadelphia

Once your child has been vaccinated you’ll have to give documentation to the school. Here’s where you can find these documents online.

There are three ways to comply with state vaccination requirements:

  1. Have your student’s doctor fill out a Certificate of Immunization.

  2. Have your student’s doctor fill out an immunization medical plan for when the student will be fully vaccinated.

  3. Have your student’s doctor fill out a medical exemption form, or fill out a religious/philosophical exemption form yourself.

You can email, fax, or hand-deliver these forms to the school district.

  1. Email: 5VAX@philasd.org

  2. Fax: (215) 400-4921

  3. Hand-deliver: School District of Philadelphia, 440 N. Broad Street — Drop Box Available in Building Lobby, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.