School Immunization
All students and school staff members deserve a healthy school environment that supports their well-being and builds a strong foundation for learning. Because vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles can spread rapidly, adequate vaccination coverage at the school level—roughly 95% for each vaccine—helps to protect the health of students, staff and others in the community, including those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons or because they are still too young to receive vaccines.
Colorado School Immunization Policy
Colorado law requires students attending schools and licensed child care facilities to be vaccinated against certain diseases, or have either a medical or non-medical (personal belief) vaccine exemption on file. Colorado law also requires most schools, child care centers, preschools and Head Start programs with 10 or more children to submit their facility’s immunization and exemption data to the state health department annually. In 2020, a new law was passed in Colorado that changes the way a parent can obtain a nonmedical vaccine exemption. School and child care facility administrators will have to determine whether Certificates of nonmedical exemption submitted by parents are valid.
Only 18% of school districts in Colorado made the Immunity Community Honor Roll in 2021/22.
Only 46% of Colorado students attend a school that made the Immunity Community Honor Roll in 2021/22.
Recognizing Schools & Districts With High Vaccination Rates
The Immunity Community Honor Roll recognizes K-12 schools and school districts in Colorado that have achieved exceptional vaccination coverage—meaning 95% vaccination for all school-required vaccines (with the exception of Tdap vaccine, which requires 80% vaccination in schools with 6th grade or higher). Visit the data dashboard below to explore vaccination rates in each of the Immunity Community Honor Roll honorees listed below.
(School Districts who made the Honor Roll are listed below; to see a list of individual schools that made the honor roll, visit the dashboard.)
2021/22 Immunity Community Honor Roll Honorees
Aguilar Reorganized 6 School District
Arriba-Flagler C-20 School District
Byers 32J School District
Campo RE-6 School District
Center 26 JT School District
Cheraw 31 School District
Crowley County Re-1-J School District
Eads Re-1 School District
Edison 54 JT School District
Frenchman RE-3 School District
Granada RE-1 School District
Hoehne Reorganized 3 School District
Holly RE-3 School District
Karval RE-23 School District
Kit Carson R-1 School District
Lamar RE-2 School District
Mc Clave RE-2 School District
Norwood R-2J School District
Plateau RE-5 School District
Revere School District
Rocky Ford R-2 School District
Sangre De Cristo RE-22J School District
Springfield RE-4 School District
Strasburg 31J School District
Swink 33 School District
Upper Rio Grande C-7 School District
Valley RE-1 School District
Walsh RE-1 School District
Weld County RE-1 School District
Wiley RE-13 JT School District
Wray RD-2 School District
Yuma 1 School District
What Could a Measles Outbreak Mean for Colorado Schools?
An increase in the number of measles cases in the U.S. over the past few years has highlighted the importance of preparing for the impact of a potential measles outbreak in the school setting. Because measles is a highly contagious disease, students who are unvaccinated or missing a record of measles vaccination could be excluded from school to protect them from exposure and to prevent transmission to other children. This could disrupt students’ learning and put strain on school staff and public health officials.Visit the data dashboard below to see how many students might be excluded in the event of a measles outbreak.
Nearly 45,000 Colorado students would potentially be excluded from school for up to 21 days in the event of a measles outbreak.
