CDC Data Show Kindergarten Vaccinations Slip as Policy Debates Intensify Measles Risk
TL;DR
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.
- Kindergarten vaccine exemptions rose in 2025-2026: CDC Axios
- More U.S. Parents Opting Children Out of Vaccine Requirements, C.D.C. Reports The New York Times
- Record share of kindergartners missed required vaccines last year as Trump executive order takes aim at state mandates CNN
- Kindergarten vaccine exemptions jump to another record high The Washington Post
- US kindergarten vaccine coverage continues downward trend, falling 0.1% Reuters
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