News Releases from Department of Health

Beginning fall 2020, Hawaii keiki will be required to meet updated immunization requirements for school entry and attendance. Additional immunizations will be required for all students entering childcare or preschool, kindergarten, seventh grade, and post-secondary school, and for students entering school in Hawaiʻi for the first time.

The primary audience for the Vax to School campaign is parents, or primary caregivers, of current sixth graders. Before the first day of school year 2020–2021, all seventh-grade students must provide documentation of having received the following vaccines or risk being excluded from school:

• Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis)
• HPV (human papillomavirus)
• MCV (meningococcal conjugate)

“We are encouraging parents to avoid the rush – even now is not too early for sixth grade students to visit their healthcare provider,” said Gail Ogawa, public health educator for DOH’s Immunization Branch.

In addition to the immunization requirements, a physical examination must be completed within 12 months before starting seventh grade.

For more information, visit https://www.vaxtoschoolhawaii.com.