Vaccination coverage among children entering school--United States, 2002-03 school year

All states require proof of vaccination for children before school entry, and a summary of that coverage is reported to CDC. Rather than reporting vaccination status on school entry, state reports to CDC reflect coverage attained after evaluating students' vaccination status and ensuring that all children receive required vaccines. School vaccination requirements have been credited with ensuring high coverage, and one of the national health objectives for 2010 is to sustain > or =95% vaccination coverage among children in kindergarten through the first grade (objective 14-23). This report presents data regarding vaccination coverage from the 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC)* for the 2002-03 school year, which highlight high reporting rates and overall high coverage. Findings indicate that vaccines required by each state and the methods for surveying schools vary. CDC is working with states to standardize data collection procedures.