To attend school in Alabama, a child needs six vaccines for kindergarten through twelfth grade, two additional vaccines if they’re in daycare or Head Start, and an official Alabama Certificate of Immunization on file at the school. The vaccines required for school in Alabama are DTaP, polio (IPV), measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (chickenpox), with a Tdap booster added at age 11 or 12. Medical and religious exemptions are available; philosophical or personal-belief exemptions are not.
The Six Required Vaccines for K–12
Alabama Administrative Code Rule 420-6-1-.03 sets the shot list for every public and private school student from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
- DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis): Five doses. Four is enough if the fourth was given on or after the fourth birthday.
- Polio (IPV): Four doses. Three is enough if the third was given on or after the fourth birthday.
- Measles: Two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, usually MMR.
- Mumps and rubella: Immunization against both, typically covered by the same two MMR doses.
- Varicella (chickenpox): One dose for children under 13. Two doses, at least 28 days apart, for anyone 13 or older starting the series. A documented positive blood titer or recorded history of chickenpox disease also satisfies the requirement.
- Tdap booster: One dose at age 11 or 12, required for students entering sixth through twelfth grade.
One point surprises many parents: Alabama does not require hepatitis B for K–12 school entry, even though the CDC recommends it and most states mandate it. Your pediatrician will almost certainly still recommend it, but the school cannot refuse your child for lacking it.1Alabama Department of Public Health. Rules of the State Board of Health Chapter 420-6-1 – Immunization of Children in Schools and Congregated Care Settings
Two More Vaccines for Daycare and Head Start
Children two months and older who attend any licensed childcare center, childcare home, or Head Start program need to be up to date on all the K–12 vaccines (adjusted for age), plus two additional shots:
- Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b): Protects against bacterial meningitis and other serious infections in young children.
- PCV (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine): Guards against pneumococcal disease, including pneumonia and bloodstream infections.
The number of Hib and PCV doses depends on how old the child is when the series starts. Your pediatrician or county health department can work out what’s needed from your child’s current records.1Alabama Department of Public Health. Rules of the State Board of Health Chapter 420-6-1 – Immunization of Children in Schools and Congregated Care Settings
What Alabama Does Not Require
The CDC recommends several vaccines for school-age children that Alabama does not mandate for enrollment: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, HPV, annual influenza, COVID-19, and meningococcal vaccines.2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recommended Vaccinations for Children Your child’s doctor may strongly encourage them, and most children who’ve had regular well-child visits will have received them anyway, but no Alabama school can turn a child away for missing any of these. When you’re checking your child’s record against the school’s list, focus on the six required categories first.
The Certificate of Immunization
Every student needs an official Alabama Certificate of Immunization (Form IMM-50, sometimes called the “blue slip”) on file at their school. This is the only document Alabama schools accept as proof of vaccination. A printout from your pediatrician’s office showing which shots your child received is not enough on its own; it has to be the official ADPH form.3Alabama Department of Public Health. Certificate of Immunization (COI) Manual/Information
You can get the certificate from any of the following:
- Your child’s doctor, if the provider has access to Alabama’s ImmPRINT immunization registry.
- Your county health department, which can look up records and issue the form on the spot.
- The provider or county health department that administered the vaccines, if you need to pull the record from ImmPRINT.
The certificate shows the child’s full name, date of birth, and the dates (month, day, and year) of every required vaccination, and must be signed by a licensed physician or authorized health department official. Schools will reject anything incomplete or unsigned.1Alabama Department of Public Health. Rules of the State Board of Health Chapter 420-6-1 – Immunization of Children in Schools and Congregated Care Settings
Bring the completed form to your child’s school at registration. A child can register without it, but cannot actually attend class until a valid certificate or recognized exemption is on file. Parents get caught off guard here all the time: enrollment paperwork gets done, then the child is turned away on the first day because documentation never came in. Don’t wait until the week school starts to track records down.
Medical and Religious Exemptions
Alabama allows two kinds of exemptions. There is no philosophical or personal-belief exemption.
Medical Exemption
A licensed physician who determines that a specific vaccine would be harmful to your child can issue a Certificate of Medical Exemption. The certificate must name the exempted vaccines, state how long the exemption lasts, and be on an ADPH-approved form. The school accepts it in place of the standard immunization certificate.1Alabama Department of Public Health. Rules of the State Board of Health Chapter 420-6-1 – Immunization of Children in Schools and Congregated Care Settings
Religious Exemption
If vaccination conflicts with your sincerely held religious beliefs, you can obtain a Certificate of Religious Exemption (Form IMM-51). You have to appear in person at your county health department. There is no mail or online option. At the appointment you submit a written objection, watch an educational video on the consequences of not vaccinating, and sign a Do Not Vaccinate Form. Once all three steps are done, the county health department issues the certificate.4Alabama Department of Public Health. Religious Exemption Manual
An exemption does not guarantee uninterrupted attendance. During an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease, schools and health authorities can temporarily exclude unvaccinated students to protect everyone else. A measles or chickenpox outbreak at your child’s school could mean days or weeks at home.
If Your Child Is Behind
A child who missed doses or started late does not have to begin the series over. The CDC’s catch-up schedule lets them resume from wherever they left off, regardless of how much time has passed.5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Catch-up Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents Minimum intervals vary by vaccine. For example, MMR requires four weeks between the first and second doses; varicella requires three months between doses for children under 13 and four weeks for those 13 and older.
If your child needs several catch-up doses and the series can’t be completed before school starts, call your county health department. Alabama’s law requires a valid certificate before attendance, so an early start matters. Your provider can lay out exactly which doses are left and the fastest schedule to finish them.5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Catch-up Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents
Help Paying for Vaccines
Cost should not be the reason a child goes without required shots. The federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program provides vaccines at no cost to children under 19 who are uninsured, enrolled in or eligible for Medicaid, American Indian or Alaska Native, or underinsured. Underinsured children can only receive VFC vaccines at Federally Qualified Health Centers or Rural Health Clinics. Children enrolled in a separate CHIP program are considered insured and do not qualify.6Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program Eligibility
Alabama’s VFC program supplies these vaccines to enrolled providers statewide. Ask your child’s doctor if they participate, or contact your county health department to find one nearby. County health departments typically administer required childhood vaccines directly and can walk families through VFC eligibility.7Alabama Department of Public Health. Vaccines for Children Program
College Requirements Are Separate
The K–12 immunization law does not apply to colleges and universities. Alabama Code Section 16-30-4 limits itself to kindergarten through twelfth grade, and a religious exemption issued under the school law does not carry over to higher education.8Justia Law. Alabama Code 16-30-4 – Presentation of Certificate of Immunization Individual institutions set their own rules. The University of Alabama, for example, requires meningococcal (MenACWY) vaccination received after age 16, two doses of MMR, two doses of varicella (or proof of immunity), a Tdap booster within the last ten years, and a tuberculosis screening.9University of Alabama. Immunization – College of Community Health Sciences Check with your specific college’s student health center well before orientation; some schools block second-semester registration if records aren’t on file.