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Vaccination exemption rates for US kindergartners reach record high - WESH
Entertainment and CultureBy Annie Jennemann8/18/20261 min read
CDC data show child vaccination rates declined, while nonmedical exemptions hit 4% nationwide.
✨ Key Highlights
- CDC data released Monday for the 2025–2026 school year shows kindergarten vaccination rates declined again, with exemptions for at least one vaccine rising, driven by a record 4% nationwide rate of nonmedical exemptions.
- Among the 46 states with sufficient data, 42 saw increases in nonmedical exemptions, and 23 states reported nonmedical exemption rates of 5% or higher.
- The MMR vaccination rate fell 0.1 points to 92.4%, leaving roughly 280,000 kindergartners without the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, according to the CDC.
- The figures cover MMR, DTaP, polio and chickenpox vaccinations, with a state-by-state breakdown of vaccination and exemption rates included.
- The release came a week after President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to overhaul child vaccination guidelines by spacing out vaccines.
- In July, US measles cases surpassed the 2025 total, marking the worst year since 1991, while the CDC notes at least 95% of a community must be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.
WASHINGTONThe rate of kindergartners getting vaccinated declined again last year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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There was also an increase in exemptions fo