Most Schools Keep Epinephrine On Hand, Survey Finds

A national survey of school nurses found most schools stock epinephrine and that many require students with food allergies to bring their own.

Updated on Nov. 15, 2026 in Allergies

Most Schools Keep Epinephrine On Hand, Survey Finds

Live Poll

Should your child's school be required to keep emergency epinephrine on site?

Most U.S. schools keep epinephrine available on site, according to a national survey of school nurses, with 87.3% reporting it on hand. Most schools have not needed to use it in the past year.

Why it matters

Food allergy affects about 8% of kids, and requiring students to carry two personal epinephrine autoinjectors imposes financial and administrative costs on families and schools. Stock epinephrine has been proposed as a more cost-effective model for anaphylaxis preparedness.

The national survey of 1,847 school nurses, which drew 349 responses from 31 states, found 87.3% of schools kept epinephrine on site and 73.6% required students with food allergy to bring their own. Researchers expect broader state representation in future survey data.

The players

American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI)

The ACAAI is a professional medical society of allergists and immunologists that holds an annual scientific meeting where clinical research is presented.

The details

Researchers polled school nurses across the United States between August and December 2025 through a database of nurses, asking about stock and personal epinephrine supply and preferences. Ten states currently require schools to keep epinephrine on hand, and nurses reported that 10% of emergencies occurred without epinephrine available.

August 2025 to December 2025: national survey of school nurses conducted.
November 15, 2026: survey data presented at the ACAAI Annual Scientific Meeting in Phoenix.

Big Picture

The findings build on the stock epinephrine model, which researchers have proposed as a more cost-effective approach to anaphylaxis preparedness than requiring each student to carry personal devices. Ten states already mandate that schools keep epinephrine on hand.

Families of food-allergic children may face fewer out-of-pocket costs if schools keep stock epinephrine, since students would not need to supply their own devices. Parents should still confirm with their child's school how emergency doses are handled.

The takeaway

Stock epinephrine availability in schools is already widespread, but most schools rely on it rarely, so preparedness planning should account for both readiness and cost. Families should ask schools directly how they stock and administer epinephrine.