Clear Creek ISD families sending kids to school Aug. 12 and Friendswood ISD parents preparing for Aug. 18 don't need to change their children's immunization records.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Aug. 10 reducing the number of diseases covered by federal childhood vaccine recommendations from 18 to 11. But the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed the same day that Texas school vaccine requirements are unchanged for the 2026-2027 school year.
"Nothing has changed here in Texas regarding what vaccines are recommended and what vaccines are needed to enroll in school," Houston pediatric neurologist Dr. Audrey Nath told KPRC 2 on Aug. 10. "Stay in touch with your pediatricians. They're going to have recommendations for you, but I would not be making any changes to plans to vaccinate."
What Texas still requires
The state's minimum vaccine list for K-12 students includes:
- Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP/Tdap)
- Polio
- Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR, 2 doses)
- Hepatitis B (3 doses)
- Chickenpox/varicella (2 doses)
- Hepatitis A (2 doses, kindergarten through 6th grade)
- Meningococcal (MCV4, 1 dose for 7th grade and above)
Both CCISD and Friendswood ISD require students to show proof of up-to-date immunizations before attending class. Neither district has announced any changes in response to the executive order.
Where federal and state rules now diverge
Trump's order, which the White House calls the "Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations," moves hepatitis A, hepatitis B and meningococcal vaccines out of universal federal recommendations. Texas still requires all three for school enrollment.
The order encourages states to align their requirements with the new federal framework, but it cannot override state law. According to the Texas Tribune, any changes to Texas vaccine requirements would have to pass the Legislature, which next convenes in January 2027.
Becca Harkleroad, executive director of the Texas School Nurses Organization, told the Tribune that the science on the vaccine-autism link "is settled."
What's ahead
The executive order directs the HHS Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines to present plans to the president within 90 days, or approximately Nov. 8. Those plans will address vaccine timing, sequencing and options for offering separate measles, mumps and rubella shots instead of the combined MMR vaccine. Separate vaccines are not currently available in the United States.
The stakes are real. Texas experienced a record-breaking measles outbreak in 2025 that killed two children and infected 762 people. The number of U.S. measles cases in 2026 has already surpassed last year's total.
Parents who need immunizations before the first day of school can contact Harris County Health District clinics at 713-439-6000 or Texas Children's Hospital mobile clinics at 832-824-2061. CCISD's student health page lists additional free and reduced-cost clinic locations serving the Clear Lake area.
