2026 · School entry
Pennsylvania school & kindergarten vaccine requirements
To enter kindergarten in Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania source. Hepatitis A is not required for kindergarten entry here.
Key takeaways
- To enter kindergarten in Pennsylvania, children generally need 5 vaccines: DTaP, IPV, MMR, VAR, HepB.
- No. Pennsylvania 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.
- Pennsylvania exemptions: medical available; religious available; personal belief available. Confirm on the official source.
- Standard core series.
Which vaccines does Pennsylvania require for kindergarten?
Each card links to a full guide for that vaccine — brands, ingredients, and how a delayed schedule changes the dose count.
Pennsylvania specifics
Standard core series.
What does Pennsylvania say about exemptions?
- Medical Available
- Religious Available
- Personal belief Available
How does the process work?
Medical: a physician or designee gives a written statement that immunization would endanger the child's life or health. Religious or strong moral or ethical conviction: a parent, guardian or emancipated child signs a written statement of the reason. It is filed with the school, for example on the Statement of Exemption on the state Certificate of Immunization.
PA Department of Health - School Health Requirements ↗ (opens in a new tab) Official form ↗ (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 Pennsylvania's official requirements?
The authoritative reference for Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania school vaccines
Which vaccines does Pennsylvania require for kindergarten?
For kindergarten entry, Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania source.
Does Pennsylvania require the hepatitis A vaccine for school?
No. Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania on a delayed vaccine schedule?
Often it can. A slower, spaced-out schedule can still satisfy Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania allow vaccine exemptions?
Pennsylvania: Medical exemptions are available, religious exemptions are available, and personal-belief exemptions are available. Medical: a physician or designee gives a written statement that immunization would endanger the child's life or health. Religious or strong moral or ethical conviction: a parent, guardian or emancipated child signs a written statement of the reason. It is filed with the school, for example on the Statement of Exemption on the state Certificate of Immunization. Rules and forms change, so confirm with PA Department of Health - School Health Requirements or your school.
Plan Pennsylvania-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.