Definition: Number of children in kindergarten with immunization exemptions, by exemption type (e.g., in 2022, 0.3% of California kindergarteners had permanent medical exemptions from immunization).
Data Source: California Dept. of Public Health, Immunization Branch, Reporting Data for Kindergarten and 7th Grade (Nov. 2024).
Footnote: Years presented are the final year of a school year (e.g., 2021-22 is shown as 2022). "Immunization overdue" is used to classify children who are subject to exclusion from school because they are overdue for one or more required immunizations; this category was not reported prior to 2016. A permanent medical exemption is based on a licensed physician's statement that an immunization is permanently not indicated because of a child's physical condition or medical circumstances. Personal belief exemptions were granted prior to 2017 based on a parent's affidavit that an immunization was contrary to the parent's beliefs (personal belief exemptions for children who entered multiyear kindergarten programs (e.g., transitional kindergarten) prior to 2016 remained valid during 2017 and 2018). A conditional entrant is a child who is not yet due for at least one immunization and does not have a permanent medical or personal belief exemption, has a physician's statement of temporary medical exemption, or is a transfer student without an immunization record available. "Other exemption" is used to classify children not covered by other exemption types who attend a home-based private school, participate in an independent study program with no classroom-based instruction, or receive services through an individualized education program (IEP); this category was not reported prior to 2017. Data exclude kindergarteners whose immunization status is not reported. The notation S refers to percentages that have been suppressed because fewer than 20 kindergarteners had that type of immunization exemption, and to numbers and percentages for 2017 and later years that have been suppressed because immunization status was reported for fewer than 20 kindergarteners. N/A means that data are not available. Due to a change in reporting requirements beginning with the 2016-17 school year, school district data for 2017 and later years are not presented here.
