• Arkansas requires a vision examination
• Frequency: Children entering a public school or a public charter school for the first time in either prekindergarten, kindergarten, or grade one (beginning 2010 school year)

and

• Arkansas requires a vision screening
• Frequency: Children in grades two, four, six, eight, and all transfer students (beginning 2010 school year)

• Colorado requires a vision screening
• Frequency: Children in the kindergarten, first, second, third, fifth, seventh, ninth grades, or children in comparable age groups, and students new to the school system

• Delaware requires a vision screening
• Frequency: Public school students in kindergarten and grades 2, 4, 7 and grades 9 or 10

• Florida requires a vision screening
• Frequency: Students in grades kindergarten, 1, 3, and 6 and students entering Florida schools for the first time in grades kindergarten through 5

• Hawaii requires a vision screening¹
• Frequency: Students entering into school in Hawaii (grades preschool or kindergarten to 12)

• Illinois requires a vision examination
• Frequency: Preschool children 3 years of age (or older) in any public or private educational program or licensed child-care facility, children enrolling in kindergarten or for the first time in a public, private, or parochial school, and all school age children in second and eighth grades; in all special education classes; referred by teachers

and

• Recommends a vision screening
• Frequency: Children in grades 4, 6, 10 and 12. 

No vision screening requirement.

• Kentucky requires a vision examination
• Frequency: Children age 3-6 enrolled in a public school, public preschool, or Head Start program

and

• Requires a vision screening
• Frequency: One year prior to entry to school, one year prior to entry into 6th grade, and (as required by local board of education) within one year prior to entry into 9th grade

• Maine requires a vision screening
• Frequency: Students enrolled in public or private school in kindergarten and grades 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9

• Massachusetts requires a vision screening
• Frequency: Children enrolled in public schools and, at individual request, a pupil in select private schools upon entering kindergarten or within 12 months of the start of a school year

• Minnesota requires a vision screening
• Frequency: Children registered for the first time in a Minnesota school (including kindergarten or 1st grade and transferring students)

• Missouri requires a vision examination
• Frequency: Children enrolling in kindergarten or 1st grade

and

• Requires a vision screening
• Frequency: Children in the public school districts before the completion of 1st and 3rd grades

• Nebraska requires a vision examination
• Frequency: Children entering a Nebraska school

No vision screening requirement.

• New Mexico requires a vision screening
• Frequency: Students enrolled in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten through fifth grade, once in middle school, once in high school and for transfer and new students in those grades

• North Carolina requires a vision screening
• Frequency: Students upon entrance in kindergarten or 1st grade

• Ohio requires a vision screening
• Frequency: Students upon entrance in kindergarten or 1st grade

• Oregon requires a vision screening
• Frequency: Children in preschool (ages 3-5), kindergarten, and grades 1, 2, or 3; 4 or 5; 7 or 8; and 10 or 11, upon first entry into school, enrolled in driver education, upon entrance into special education, and upon parent or teacher referral

• Rhode Island requires a vision screening
• Frequency: Student upon entry to school and in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and 9th grades

No vision screening requirement.

• Texas requires a vision screening
• Frequency: Children enrolled in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th grades and children four years of age or older, who are enrolled in any facility for the first time

• Vermont requires a vision screening
• Frequency: Periodically for school-aged children

• Washington requires a vision screening
• Frequency: Students in kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th grades (or annually, if school resources permit) and for any child showing symptoms of possible loss in visual acuity referred to the district by parents, guardians, or school staff

• Wisconsin allows (but does not require) a vision examination
• Frequency: Students entering kindergarten

The kind of vision care or assessment your child may be required to get before entering school varies from state to state.

Among Prevent Blindness America’s core visionary goals is the reduction of vision loss by ensuring all children receive appropriate vision care before entering school. Toward this end, Prevent Blindness America supports legislation in every state that would ensure all children are screened for vision problems, with appropriate follow-up eye examinations when necessary, prior to school entry.