Kindergarten Routine Vaccination Charges Proceed to Decline

Routine vaccination charges for kindergarten kids proceed to say no within the U.S., whereas exemptions from faculty vaccination necessities, significantly non-medical exemptions, have elevated. These traits started in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and have continued over time (Determine 1). Latest traits seem like associated to growing vaccine hesitancy, fueled partially by vaccine misinformation. The previous few years have seen extra skepticism among the many public in regards to the security and effectiveness of measles vaccines, a decline in trust of well being authorities usually, and more and more partisan views on vaccine necessities. This subject transient gives an replace on the most recent traits in kids’s routine vaccination and exemption charges.

Whereas states and native jurisdictions, not the federal authorities, set vaccine necessities for college kids, the federal authorities has a long-standing, evidence-based system for approving and recommending vaccines for the general public, together with the childhood vaccination schedule, which is utilized by states, pediatricians, and oldsters. Division of Well being and Human Providers (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has led current efforts to re-examine the federal childhood vaccine schedule and change members of the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine advisory committee (ACIP). KFF polling from August 2025 discovered there’s confusion among the many public about U.S. vaccine coverage, with half of the general public pondering RFK Jr. has made “main” (26%) or “minor” (26%) adjustments to vaccine coverage whereas the opposite half both say they “don’t know sufficient to say” (40%) or say no adjustments have been made (7%). As well as, half (48%) of fogeys aren’t certain if federal well being companies are at present recommending that wholesome kids obtain a COVID-19 vaccine this fall or not. Whereas there haven’t been adjustments to different routine childhood vaccinations, the CDC is not formally recommending the COVID-19 vaccine for wholesome kids, and COVID-19 vaccination charges amongst kids are low. Modifications (and confusion about these adjustments) on the federal degree coupled with reduced support from the federal authorities for state and native well being departments might additional drive down vaccination charges amongst kids.

What are current traits in kindergarten kids’s routine vaccination charges?

The share of kindergarten kids updated on their vaccinations continues to say no. Knowledge collected and aggregated yearly by the CDC from state and native immunization packages found that 92.5% of kindergarteners had been vaccinated in opposition to measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and polio and 92.1% in opposition to DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis) for the 2024-2025 faculty yr. That is down from 95% throughout all three vaccines for the 2019-2020 (pre-pandemic) faculty yr and beneath protection ranges of the previous decade. In each faculty yr because the pandemic started, the MMR vaccination price has fallen beneath the Healthy People 2030 “target” rate of 95%, the extent wanted to forestall group transmission of measles, a extremely contagious and life-threatening virus. This implies roughly 286,000 kindergarteners have been unvaccinated and unprotected in opposition to measles, and analysis shows the extra unvaccinated kids in a college, the bigger threat of an outbreak turns into. Whereas measles has been formally “eliminated” from the U.S. since 2000, the U.S. has reported extra instances of measles in simply the primary half of 2025 than in any yr since 1992, placing the U.S.’s elimination standing probably in danger.

Over three-quarters (39) of states had MMR vaccination charges beneath the “goal” price of 95% for the 2024-2025 faculty yr, a rise from 28 states in the course of the 2019-2020 (pre-pandemic) faculty yr (Determine 2). Additional, 16 states reported charges beneath 90% for the 2024-2025 faculty yr, in comparison with solely three states within the 2019-2020 faculty yr. Within the final yr alone, over half of states skilled declines in vaccination charges throughout all state required vaccines, together with MMR, DTaP, polio, and varicella. There may be additionally substantial variation in vaccination charges throughout states, with MMR protection charges amongst kindergarteners for the most recent faculty yr ranged from a low of 78.5% in Idaho to a excessive of 98.2% in Connecticut. There may also be variation in vaccination protection inside states, and, when there are clusters of unvaccinated folks inside a selected group, the threat of an outbreak is greater.

What are current traits in kindergarten kids’s vaccine exemption charges?

On the identical time, the share of kindergarten kids with an exemption from a number of required vaccinations elevated. The share of youngsters claiming an exemption from a number of vaccinations rose from 2.5% within the 2019-2020 faculty yr to three.6% within the 2024-2025 faculty yr, the very best nationwide exemption price up to now. Will increase in non-medical exemptions accounted for the current will increase; non-medical exemptions elevated from 2.2% to three.4% whereas medical exemptions truly declined barely from 0.3% to 0.2% from 2019-2020 to 2024-2025. Whereas a seemingly small improve in non-medical exemptions, any will increase restrict the general share of youngsters capable of be vaccinated and make it harder to succeed in vaccination price objectives. Research have proven that greater exemption charges are associated with decrease vaccination protection charges and increased threat for illness outbreaks.

Seventeen states within the 2024-2025 faculty yr had vaccine exemption charges over 5% in contrast with 9 states in the course of the pre-pandemic faculty yr (Determine 3). These states couldn’t attain vaccination protection charges at or above 95% even when all non-exempt kids have been vaccinated (charges proven listed below are for exemptions to a number of vaccines, so probably achievable protection charges might fluctuate by vaccine kind). Within the final yr alone, 37 states (together with D.C.) skilled an increase within the share of kindergarteners claiming an exemption for a number of vaccines. As of 2025, all states and DC require kids to be vaccinated in opposition to sure ailments, together with MMR, so as to attend public faculties, although exemptions are allowed in sure circumstances. All states allow a medical exemption, and 47 states (together with D.C.) enable for a spiritual or private perception exemption (or each). In recent times, some teams and state leaders have pushed to calm down necessities and expand non-medical exemptions for college kids whereas others have proposed the elimination of non-medical exemptions.