Back to School: Dental, Vision Exams Required for Illinois Students

Does your student require dental or vision exams to satisfy school requirements?

We promise — getting those back-to-school dental and vision exams on the calendar can make you feel more in control of your summer schedule. These examinations aren’t required for all grades in Illinois, and the first deadline coming up isn’t until mid-October. So don’t forget to breathe — in and out — and read on.

Requirements vary based on what grade your child will be entering. Here’s what you’ll need to know to get your child ready to go back to school in the fall.

Check out our entire Back to School series, presented by Christie Clinic:

Thank you to Christie Clinic for presenting our 2024 Champaign-Urbana Area Back to School series

Christie Clinic wants you to give your kids a healthy start to the school year. Parents can currently make back-to-school appointments for their children through their patient portal or by using online scheduling at christieclinic.com.

Please contact the department for evening or weekend school physical appointment availability.

Find more information about school physicals here.

Dental Examinations

The State of Illinois requires that all students in kindergarten, second, sixth and ninth grades have an oral health examination performed by a licensed dentist.

Following your child’s exam, the dentist should complete the dental examination form required by the state of Illinois. Complete documentation should be returned to the school office no later than May 15. Translation: for school year 2024-25, a valid dental exam would fall between November 2023 and May 2025 — within the 18-month period prior to the due date. Exam forms are available at your dentist’s office or can be accessed here.

If you are looking for a dentist in the Champaign-Urbana area, check out the Chambanamoms dentist guide here.

The Champaign Urbana Public Health Department offers an onsite dental program for youth 18-and-under which includes services such as cleanings, sealants and fillings. In addition, C-UPHD’s School Dental Clinics visit all public schools in Champaign, Savoy, and Urbana during the school year to provide school dental exams, cleanings, fluoride, and dental sealants. Students with Medicaid, AllKids, or who are uninsured are eligible for a dental exam at school, at no cost to the parent.

Vision Examinations

All students entering kindergarten or entering an Illinois school for the first time must have an eye exam before Oct. 15 of the year of the required exam, or within 30 days of enrollment for new students from out-of-state. The exam must have been performed any time within a 12-month period prior to the start of school. This means that the eye exam for the school year 2024-25 needs to have taken place between August 2023 and October 2024.

A licensed optometrist or medical doctor who performs eye exams (such as an ophthalmologist) must perform the exam. The State of Illinois Eye Examination Report can be accessed at this link.

(Note that this eye exam requirement is separate from the vision screenings provided in all public, charter, and private schools in Illinois to students in preschool, kindergarten, second, and eighth grades as well as certain others as required by law.)

If you are looking for an eye doctor in the Champaign-Urbana area, our readers have provided some recommendations for optometrists.