Back to School, Back to the Basics: The 2026 Vaccine Landscape

The weeks before school starts have always been a natural checkpoint for childhood immunizations. This year, that conversation is more important than ever, and it is more complicated. Federal vaccine policy has shifted in ways that are creating real confusion for patients and families. Your role as a trusted physician has never been more critical.

Know Which Schedule to Follow

The AAP released its 2026 immunization schedule on January 26, which differs significantly from a federal schedule that underwent what the AAP characterized as an arbitrary overhaul. The split is significant: the CDC reduced its routine vaccine recommendations from 18 diseases to 11, while the AAP’s 2026 schedule continues to recommend protection against all 18. In its published policy statement, the AAP stated explicitly that it no longer endorses the recommended childhood and adolescent immunization schedule from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The 2026 AAP Immunization Schedule is the standard to follow. The AMA is among a dozen physician and health professional organizations formally endorsing the AAP’s recommendations, together representing more than one million physicians, pharmacists, and pediatric health professionals. More than 230 organizations in total have expressed support for the AAP schedule.

In response to the CDC changes, the AMA issued a statement affirming: “The scientific evidence remains unchanged, and the AMA supports continued access to childhood immunizations recommended by national medical specialty societies.” The AMA has also published conversation-starter tools and patient-facing infographics to help physicians navigate these discussions, and maintains a full timeline of its vaccine advocacy actions for reference.

What Maryland Still Requires for School Entry

Regardless of any federal changes, Maryland’s school immunization requirements are set by state law. COMAR 10.06.04.03 requires all students enrolled in prekindergarten through Grade 12 to receive age-appropriate immunizations, and schools must have proof of immunization before a student may begin.

For the 2026–2027 school year, Maryland requires the following for students in kindergarten through Grade 6: DTaP/DTP (3–4 doses), polio (3 doses), MMR (2 doses), varicella (2 doses), and hepatitis B (3 doses). Students entering grades 7 through 12 must also have meningococcal vaccine (MCV4) and Tdap. The immunizations most often missing in school-age children are the final doses in the DTaP, polio, MMR, and varicella series, all recommended at age 4. Check your patients’ records now. Parents can access their child’s official Maryland immunization records through Maryland MyIR, a free portal linked to the state’s ImmuNet system.

Your Patients Are Confused. Be Ready.

Vaccine hesitancy has become more emotionally charged and politically fraught since COVID-19, and more parents are arriving at appointments with genuine questions, deep anxiety, or a patchwork of information gathered from social media, podcasts, and wellness influencers. The CDC’s reduced schedule has given some families the impression that previously routine vaccines are now considered optional or unsafe. They are not.

The twelve national organizations endorsing the AAP’s 2026 schedule together represent more than one million clinicians, physicians, pharmacists, and other pediatric health professionals. Your patients’ children still need the same vaccines they always have. The AAP’s HealthyChildren.org has a parent-friendly version of the 2026 schedule that can be shared directly with families at the point of care.

For physicians looking for guidance on handling hesitant or skeptical patients, the AMA’s vaccine hesitancy resources offer practical frameworks for having these conversations, and the AMA’s pediatric vaccine FAQ anticipates the specific questions parents are bringing to exam rooms right now.

The Clinical Bottom Line

Use the coming weeks to review immunization records for your school-age patients, identify anyone who is overdue or behind on a catch-up schedule, and proactively address concerns about the current policy environment before confusion becomes a barrier to care. The evidence behind childhood vaccination has not changed. The schedule your patients need is the AAP’s 2026 Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule, and your voice in the exam room remains the most trusted resource families have.