November 22nd, 2009
In order to enroll a child in a public school system in Virginia, state law requires a parent or guardian of a child to provide certain information to the child’s school division. The required information is listed below:

1. Birth Certificate. An official certified copy of the child’s birth record must be provided. (A photocopy of the child’s birth certificate will not meet this requirement.)

At the time of enrollment, the child must be five years of age or reach his/her fifth birthday on or before September 30th of the school year.

Information on obtaining a certified copy of a birth certification is available at the Virginia Department of Health Web site.

If a certified copy of the child’s birth record cannot be obtained, the person enrolling the child must submit a sworn statement setting forth the child’s age and explaining the inability to present a certified copy of the birth record.

2. Street Address. Documentation of the street address or route number of the child’s residence must be provided. If no street address or route number exists for the child’s residence, a post office box number must be provided.

If a child has no regular, fixed residence but resides within the school division in a temporary shelter, institution, or place not ordinarily used as a residence, the school division may determine that a street address, route number, or post office box number, cannot be provided. The school division may accept an alternative form of address that it considers appropriate.

3. School Entrance Health Form. A School Entrance Health Form MCH 213 D, completed by a licensed physician, licensed nurse practitioner, or licensed physician’s assistant regarding the child, must be presented at the time of enrollment. The three-part form includes Part 1 - Health Information Form, Part II - Comprehensive Physical Examination Report, and Part III – Certification of Immunization. The report must indicate that the child has received a comprehensive physical examination performed within the twelve months prior to the date the child first enters a public kindergarten or elementary school. The physical examination report must include results of a urinalysis and iron deficiency screening or a hemoglobin or hemocrate.

The School Entrance Health Form MCH 213 D is available at the Virginia Department of Health Web site.

The health departments of all of the counties and cities must provide the physical examination for medically indigent children without charge upon request.

A report of a physical examination is not required of any child if it violates the family’s religious beliefs and the child’s parent or guardian states in writing that the child is free from any communicable or contagious disease.

The Certificate of Religious Exemption Form CRE-1 is available from the Virginia Department of Health Web site.

4. Immunizations Documentation. (Part III of the School Entrance Health Form MCH 213 D) indicating that the child has received the required immunizations must be provided. The required immunizations include:
  • 3 DTP or DtaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertusis) — at least one dose of DTP after 4th birthday unless child received six doses before 4th birthday
  • 3 Polio Vaccine (IPV) — at least one dose after 4th birthday unless child received four doses prior to 4th birthday
  • 3 Hepatitis B Vaccine — doses required for children born on or after January 1, 1994
    2 Measles — first dose on or after 12 months of age, second dose prior to entering kindergarten
    1 Mumps — on or after 12 months of age
    1 Rubella — on or after 12 months of age
  • 1 Varicella — on or after 12 months of age to susceptible children born on or after January 1, 1997
  • Minimum Immunizations Requirements for Entry Into Child Care and School is available at the Virginia Department of Health Web site.

    Any child whose immunizations are incomplete may be admitted conditionally, if the parent or guardian provides documentation at the time of enrollment, that the child has received at least one dose of the required immunizations and has a schedule for completion of the required doses within 90 days.

    A certificate of immunization is not required of any child if his/her parent submits a sworn statement to the school, which indicates that having the child immunized conflicts with the family’s religious beliefs, or the school is provided medical certification that one or more of the required immunizations may be harmful to the child’s health.

5. Social Security Number. The child’s federal social security number must be provided upon enrollment or within 90 days thereafter. However, a child may not be excluded from school if a social security number is not provided. The division superintendent or a person acting on his behalf may waive this requirement if he finds that an individual is not eligible to obtain a social security number in accordance with guidelines established by the Board of Education. School divisions may assign a student who receives a waiver an alphanumeric number as a substitute for the social security number.

6. Expulsion Statement. When a student is registered, the parent must provide a sworn statement about whether the child has been expelled. The statement must indicate whether the child has been expelled from attending a private school or another public school in Virginia or a school in another state for an offense involving weapons, alcohol or drugs, or for willful infliction of injury to another person.

7. Enrollment of Homeless Students. Project HOPE ensures the enrollment, attendance, and the success of homeless children and youth in school through public awareness efforts across the Commonwealth and subgrants to local school divisions.