US school vaccination rates inch down yet again and exemptions reach record high
Summary
U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates dropped slightly in the 2025-2026 school year, while the number of children exempted from vaccines reached a record high of 4.2%. Most exemptions are for nonmedical reasons, and experts connect the trend to mixed messages from federal health officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Key Facts
- The exemption rate for vaccine requirements rose to 4.2% from 3.6% the previous year, affecting about 155,000 children nationally.
- Exemptions increased in 41 states plus the District of Columbia.
- The required measles-mumps-rubella vaccine coverage fell to 92.4% in kindergartners, down from 95% before the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Vaccination rates also declined for polio, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, and chickenpox vaccines.
- Most exemptions come from parents refusing vaccines for nonmedical reasons.
- Federal health leaders, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have proposed changes to vaccination guidelines that contribute to confusion.
- President Trump supports revising vaccine schedules to space shots out, a theory that experts say is incorrect.
- The U.S. is experiencing its worst measles outbreak since 1991, partly because of lowered vaccination rates.
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