The California School Immunization Law requires that children receive certain immunizations in order to attend elementary and secondary schools, as well as other care centers. However, there are exemptions to the immunization requirements. One of these is a personal belief exemption, whereby parents/guardians can skip the immunizations for their children if they claim it is contrary to their beliefs.

California keeps records of these immunizations and the reasons for any exemptions. In this post, I’ve mapped the rates (as percentages) of personal belief exemptions for kindergarten students by county. I’ve also included the cities where at least 30% of students are not vaccinated due to parents’ personal beliefs.

Data source: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/immunize/Pages/ImmunizationLevels.aspx