U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates fall as exemptions rise
The CDC posted data showing the national kindergarten exemption rate rose to 4.2 percent in 2025-26, up from 3.6 percent the prior year and affecting an estimated 155,000 children. It is the fourth straight year of record exemption increases, with rises in 41 states and the District of Columbia and most exemptions for nonmedical reasons. Measles-mumps-rubella coverage fell to 92.4 percent, below the pre-pandemic 95 percent level linked to lower outbreak risk, and rates also declined for polio, DTaP and the first varicella dose. Officials link the declines to turmoil over federal vaccination guidance, raising measles susceptibility and outbreak concerns.
National kindergarten vaccine exemptions reached 4.2 percent in 2025-26.
Context
The CDC posted kindergarten coverage data online this year. Federal officials have tried to revise childhood vaccination guidance, which the article links to confusion. Officials may push more vaccination outreach as schools open.
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