CDC Data Show Kindergarten Vaccinations Slip as Policy Debates Intensify Measles Risk

CDC data for 2025–2026 show a small decline in kindergarten vaccination coverage, with MMR, DTaP, polio, and varicella rates down in more than half the states; about 280,000 kindergartners lack documentation of completing the two-dose MMR and roughly 155,000 exemptions exist (24 states exceed 5%), while state MMR coverage ranges from 75.2% in Idaho to 98.9% in West Virginia. Officials warn that even small declines can threaten herd immunity, in a context of a Trump administration push to loosen vaccine scheduling and school-entry requirements that could face legal challenges.