Independent study charter schools are a soft spot in California's vaccine laws, data show

Heartland Charter School in Kern County has several dream field trips on the calendar this spring, including tours of In-N-Out Burger, an Amtrak train ride along the Central Coast and a matinee performance of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” at the Hollywood Pantages.

The outings may not seem unusual, but Heartland’s student body differs from other California schools in one major way.

Just 5% of Heartland’s 810 kindergarten students received all their childhood vaccines last year, and 9% were vaccinated against measles, according to a Times analysis of data that California schools report to the state. The vaccination rate for kindergarten students across the state last year was 93.7%.

Heartland is among the largest of California’s independent study charter schools, which allow parents to enroll their children in the public school system but avoid the state’s strict vaccine requirements by educating them at home or online.

Such programs — sometimes called homeschool charters, online charters or virtual charters — boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic and offer more flexibility than a traditional school.

They also serve as a legal refuge for California parents who don’t want to vaccinate their children or leave the public school system. Some public health depar...
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