North Carolina checks immunization records at three grade checkpoints — kindergarten, 7th grade, and 12th grade — each with its own set of requirements. This page covers the exact records North Carolina law requires at each stage, how to use the NCIR registry, and what happens when records are incomplete.
Last verified: September 8, 2026
Under N.C. General Statutes §130A-152 through §130A-157, every child attending a North Carolina school — public, private, charter, or religious — must have a current Certification of Immunization completed by their healthcare provider. North Carolina has one of the more detailed requirement lists among states.
Kindergarten entry:
7th grade checkpoint:
12th grade checkpoint:
NCIR (North Carolina Immunization Registry) stores vaccination records reported by providers across the state. Contact your pediatrician or local health department to request a printout — NCIR shows every documented dose and can generate a Certification of Immunization directly.
(Source: NC Immunize — NCIR, accessed Aug 28, 2026)
If NCIR is incomplete — or if your child received doses out of state — bring whatever records you have to your pediatrician or county health department. They review the dose dates, update NCIR, and complete a signed Certification of Immunization. This is the document the school needs.
If your child was vaccinated outside North Carolina, bring the original documentation to an NC-licensed provider. The provider reviews dose dates against North Carolina's requirements, enters valid doses into NCIR, and issues a new Certification. NC's kindergarten requirement list includes Hib and PCV doses that some other states don't require for school entry — verify these are documented if transferring from out of state.
North Carolina adds requirements at 7th and 12th grade. The Tdap booster and first MenACWY dose are needed before 7th grade; the MenACWY booster is needed before 12th grade. Schedule a well-child visit before each checkpoint to get the doses administered and the Certification updated in one appointment.
North Carolina requires immunization documentation to be on file on the first day of attendance. Students who do not have a valid Certification of Immunization cannot attend school until one is provided.
(Source: N.C. G.S. §130A-155, accessed Aug 28, 2026)
Every person gets one health story, and one private Family Stork email address every clinic already knows how to use. Give that address to your pediatrician, your county health department, or your school nurse — they send records to it, and the immunization history builds itself into one timeline.
When North Carolina schools ask for the Certification at kindergarten — or at the 7th-grade Tdap/MenACWY checkpoint, or at the 12th-grade booster — the dose dates are already organized. No calling NCIR, no hunting through papers, no discovering Hib or PCV gaps on enrollment day.
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Family Stork gives every family member a private @families.familystork.com address. Providers send immunization records to it automatically. NCIR data, dose dates, and every Certification — organized in one place, ready for every checkpoint. $99/year — about $10/month.
Start your family's record — freeNorth Carolina recognizes medical and religious exemptions from school immunization requirements. Medical exemptions require a physician's statement; religious exemptions require a written statement from the parent or guardian. North Carolina does not recognize philosophical exemptions. Governed by N.C. G.S. §130A-156 and §130A-157.