Texas schools are required by state law to verify immunization documentation before a student can enroll. This page covers exactly which records Texas schools ask for, how to retrieve them through official channels, and what provisional enrollment means for families still pulling records together.
Last verified: September 5, 2026
Under Texas Education Code §38.001, all students enrolled in Texas public or private schools must present documentation of immunizations meeting the minimum state requirements established by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Schools are required to maintain these records on file for every enrolled student.
The Texas DSHS publishes the official minimum immunization requirements for school entry. The required vaccine groups vary by grade level. Documentation must show the specific vaccine, the date each dose was administered (month, day, year), and the healthcare provider or clinic that administered it.
The Texas DSHS minimum state requirements by school level are published at:
(Source: dshs.texas.gov, accessed Sep 5, 2026)
Accepted documentation formats:
(Source: dshs.texas.gov — School Requirements, accessed Sep 5, 2026)
ImmTrac2 is the Texas Immunization Registry, managed by the Texas DSHS. It stores dose records submitted by participating healthcare providers across the state. Families can request a consent form to access or enroll in ImmTrac2 online. Once enrolled, a printed ImmTrac2 record is accepted by Texas schools as official immunization documentation.
(Source: dshs.texas.gov — ImmTrac2, accessed Sep 5, 2026)
If ImmTrac2 does not have a complete record, contact the clinic or provider who administered the vaccines. Request a written summary on clinic letterhead listing each vaccine, dose number, and the date given. This document serves as the school record until a formal registry record is available.
Texas schools accept out-of-state immunization records, but the school will verify whether those records satisfy the DSHS minimum requirements. Bring prior records to a Texas-licensed provider who can review them and issue a Texas-compliant record if needed.
Texas schools are required to have documentation on file at enrollment. Delivering records before the start of school avoids triggering the provisional enrollment clock and prevents any gap in attendance.
Texas provides a 30-day provisional enrollment period for students who have begun the process of obtaining immunization records but do not have complete documentation at the time of enrollment. During the provisional period, the student may attend school while the family works to obtain the required records.
(Source: dshs.texas.gov — School Requirements, accessed Sep 5, 2026)
Texas school registration typically opens in spring. Gathering records before registration — not the first day — gives families time to resolve any gaps without triggering a provisional clock.
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 child's healthcare provider or Texas DSHS-participating clinic — dose records get sent to it, and the immunization history builds itself into one organized timeline.
When a Texas school asks for immunization documentation at enrollment or at the 7th-grade checkpoint, the dose dates are already filed. No requesting an ImmTrac2 printout at the last minute, no hunting down old clinic records, no scrambling before the first day of school.
Tired of logging into a different MyChart for every clinic? Family Stork vs MyChart — one email address replaces every portal.
Keep your family's entire health story in one place: family health timeline software.
Family Stork gives every family member a private @families.familystork.com address. Providers send immunization records to it automatically. Texas enrollment documentation, ImmTrac2 records, and every dose date — organized in one place, ready when school asks. $99/year — about $10/month.
Start your family's record — freeTexas recognizes two types of exemptions from school immunization requirements: medical exemptions and conscientious exemptions (including religious and personal belief). Governing statutes: Texas Education Code §38.001 and Texas Health & Safety Code §161.004.
The official exemption affidavit process is administered by the Texas DSHS: