Kindergarten Vaccination Rates and Rising Exemptions

U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates decreased again last year, and exemptions reached a record high, according to federal data. The exempted percentage of children rose to 4.2%, up from 3.6% the prior year. This equates to around 155,000 children during the 2025-2026 school year. It’s the fourth year in a row with a record exemption rate, mostly due to nonmedical reasons. Exemptions increased in 41 states and the District of Columbia.

Experts cite disorder in federal health recommendations as a reason. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. led the antivaccine movement before President Donald Trump assigned him to federal health agencies. Recently, Kennedy and others attempted to change childhood vaccination guidance. Trump proposed revising childhood vaccination schedules to align with his discredited theory of spreading shots over multiple visits.

“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,” said Dr. James Campbell from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Decline in Vaccination Rates

The CDC noted a slight decline in measles-mumps-rubella vaccination rates, down to 92.4% among 2025-26 kindergarteners. Historically, pre-COVID-19 rates were 95%, a figure considered adequate to prevent outbreaks.

Vaccination rates for polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and the first chickenpox dose also fell. However, the rate for hepatitis B remained the same. This vaccine is administered shortly after birth, so recent federal guideline changes will not yet appear in current data, Campbell explained.

On its release, the vaccination data highlighted the worst measles year since 1991, with over 250,000 kindergarteners at risk. Unvaccinated children are unevenly spread across regions, impacting the intensity of measles outbreaks.

Public Health Promotion

With the school year starting, health officials emphasize vaccination benefits. “Back-to-school season is an important reminder that protecting our children’s health is both a shared responsibility and a shared goal,” said Dev Sangvai, North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary. Vaccinations keep students healthy and in school.

In the past, the CDC published vaccination data in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Now, under the Trump administration, the data is online. This year, a brief statement acknowledged a decline in vaccination coverage and encouraged parental consultation with doctors.

Exemption Rates and Health Impacts

Schools demand vaccinations since they are potential starting points for outbreaks. Historically, vaccination rates were high due to attendance mandates requiring vaccines against measles, mumps, polio, tetanus, whooping cough, and chickenpox. All states mandate vaccinations for school and childcare entry.

Medical condition exemptions are permitted nationwide, while most states allow nonmedical exemptions. Despite holding steady at about 0.2% for medical exemptions, nonmedical ones have increased significantly over the past decade.

In the last school year, Idaho reported 17.5% of kindergartners exempted from one or more vaccines. Connecticut displayed a lower rate with exemptions under 0.5%.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department, supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, compiled this report.