2026 · School entry
Colorado school & kindergarten vaccine requirements
To enter kindergarten in Colorado, children generally need 5 vaccines — DTaP, IPV, MMR, VAR, HepB. Below is what each one protects against, how exemptions and provisional enrollment work, and the official Colorado source. Hepatitis A is not required for kindergarten entry here.
Key takeaways
- To enter kindergarten in Colorado, children generally need 5 vaccines: DTaP, IPV, MMR, VAR, HepB.
- No. Colorado does not require hepatitis A (HepA) for kindergarten entry, although the CDC still recommends it for children. Your required list is DTaP, IPV, MMR, VAR, HepB.
- Colorado exemptions: medical available; religious available; personal belief available. Confirm on the official source.
- Standard core. HepA not required at K.
Which vaccines does Colorado require for kindergarten?
Each card links to a full guide for that vaccine — brands, ingredients, and how a delayed schedule changes the dose count.
Colorado specifics
Standard core. HepA not required at K.
What does Colorado say about exemptions?
- Medical Available
- Religious Available
- Personal belief Available
How does the process work?
Colorado has one combined nonmedical exemption category (SB 20-163) covering religious and personal belief. A parent obtains a Certificate of Nonmedical Exemption either by completing CDPHE's Online Immunization Education Module (no provider signature required; the certificate is generated on completion), or with the signature of an immunizing provider (MD, DO, PA, APN, RN or pharmacist); under C.R.S. 25-4-903 a provider cannot be required to sign. The parent gives the certificate to the school or child care before the first day, and for K-12 it expires each June 30. Medical exemptions use a Certificate of Medical Exemption signed by an APN, physician (MD/DO) or PA; permanent ones are submitted once, and temporary ones expire on the date the provider sets.
CDPHE - Certificate of Nonmedical Exemption ↗ (opens in a new tab)
This summarizes what the state's own pages say, reviewed September 30, 2026. It is not advice for or against any option. Laws and forms change; confirm with your school or health department. Compare all states in the exemptions overview, or see glossary definitions.
What is provisional enrollment?
Many states permit provisional or conditional enrollment, which lets a child start school while still catching up on a series that has already been started. Rules and time limits vary, so ask your school. The catch-up guide explains how remaining doses are counted.
Where are Colorado's official requirements?
The authoritative reference for Colorado is the state's own published requirements. Always verify dose counts, grade ranges, and exemptions there — those details change and are not all captured here.
immunize.org — HepB school requirements (2025) →
More questions about Colorado school vaccines
Which vaccines does Colorado require for kindergarten?
For kindergarten entry, Colorado requires 5 vaccines: DTaP, IPV, MMR, VAR, HepB. These protect against diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis); polio; measles, mumps, rubella. Dose counts and grade ranges can vary — always confirm on the official Colorado source.
Does Colorado require the hepatitis A vaccine for school?
No. Colorado does not require hepatitis A (HepA) for kindergarten entry, although the CDC still recommends it for children. Your required list is DTaP, IPV, MMR, VAR, HepB.
Can my child start school in Colorado on a delayed vaccine schedule?
Often it can. A slower, spaced-out schedule can still satisfy Colorado's rules as long as the required series (DTaP, IPV, MMR, VAR, HepB) are finished — or, in many districts, in progress under provisional/conditional enrollment — by the first day of school. The free planner builds a plan that finishes every required vaccine in time. Confirm the specifics with your school district and your child's healthcare practitioner.
Does Colorado allow vaccine exemptions?
Colorado: Medical exemptions are available, religious exemptions are available, and personal-belief exemptions are available. Colorado has one combined nonmedical exemption category (SB 20-163) covering religious and personal belief. A parent obtains a Certificate of Nonmedical Exemption either by completing CDPHE's Online Immunization Education Module (no provider signature required; the certificate is generated on completion), or with the signature of an immunizing provider (MD, DO, PA, APN, RN or pharmacist); under C.R.S. 25-4-903 a provider cannot be required to sign. The parent gives the certificate to the school or child care before the first day, and for K-12 it expires each June 30. Medical exemptions use a Certificate of Medical Exemption signed by an APN, physician (MD/DO) or PA; permanent ones are submitted once, and temporary ones expire on the date the provider sets. Rules and forms change, so confirm with CDPHE - Certificate of Nonmedical Exemption or your school.
Plan Colorado-ready vaccinations on a slower schedule
Want to space shots out but still finish every required vaccine before the first day of school? Build a spaced-out, minimum-dose plan you can review with your child's healthcare practitioner.
Build my plan →Sources
The state's own page is the authority; the others are cross-checks.