US Kindergarten Vaccination Rates Decline as Exemptions Reach Record High
- kindergarten vaccination rates dropped during the 2025-2026 school year while vaccine exemptions reached an all-time high of 4.2%, according to federal data posted by the Centers for Disease...
- Exemptions rose in 41 states and the District of Columbia, according to federal records.
- In addition to the MMR vaccine, coverage rates fell for polio, the combination shot against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, and the first dose of the chickenpox vaccine.
U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates dropped during the 2025-2026 school year while vaccine exemptions reached an all-time high of 4.2%, according to federal data posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The decline affects roughly 155,000 children nationally and marks the fourth consecutive year that the average exemption rate has hit a new record high.
National Exemption Rates Rise Across 41 States
Exemptions rose in 41 states and the District of Columbia, according to federal records. The vast majority of these exemptions involve parents withholding required shots for nonmedical reasons. Public health officials track these figures closely because schools function as transmission hubs for infectious illnesses. The share of kindergartners with exemptions climbed from 3.6% the previous year to 4.2% in the 2025-2026 school year. The CDC reported that 92.4% of kindergartners received required measles-mumps-rubella shots, down slightly from prior years and below the 95% threshold needed to prevent localized outbreaks.
Measles, Polio, and DTaP Coverage Decline
In addition to the MMR vaccine, coverage rates fell for polio, the combination shot against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, and the first dose of the chickenpox vaccine. Vaccination coverage held steady for hepatitis B, though that immunization is administered shortly after birth. Dr. James Campbell of the American Academy of Pediatrics noted that recent federal efforts to alter infant hepatitis B guidelines will take several years to register in kindergarten data. According to Campbell, more than a quarter of a million children entering kindergarten are now susceptible to measles as the country navigates its worst year for the virus since 1991. Unvaccinated children are concentrated unevenly across different communities, creating pockets of high vulnerability that drive varying outbreak intensities.
Federal Guidance Shifts and Expert Concerns
Public health experts attribute the downward trend to shifting federal messaging and administrative changes.
The root cause of this is primarily because there’s so much chaos and confusion in vaccination recommendation systems in the last year or so.
Dr. James Campbell, American Academy of Pediatrics Federal health officials have attempted to revise childhood vaccination guidance, and calls have been made for revamped recommendations separating childhood shots into distinct medical visits, a strategy major medical organizations state lacks research backing. Unlike prior years when the CDC released vaccination coverage data in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report accompanied by detailed briefings, the agency posted the 2025-2026 figures online with a brief three-sentence statement. The agency stated that it continues to encourage parents to discuss vaccination options with their doctors as state health departments promote back-to-school immunization reminders.