US Kindergarten Vaccination Rates Fall Again as Exemptions Hit Record High, CDC Data Shows

National kindergarten vaccination rates in the United States dropped for the 2025–2026 school year while non-medical exemptions reached an all-time high, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday. Only 92.4 percent of children received the required measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, falling further below the 95 percent threshold needed to maintain herd immunity and prevent community outbreaks.

The Expanding Immunity Gap in US Schools

Public health metrics continue to slide across multiple standard immunizations. Coverage with the DTaP vaccine, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, declined from 92.1 percent in the previous cycle to 92.0 percent. According to AP News reporting, vaccination coverage also fell for polio and chickenpox, marking a sustained downward trajectory that began after the 2019–2020 school year.

Exemptions from vaccine requirements climbed to 4.2 percent nationally, affecting an estimated 155,000 children during the 2025–2026 school year. This marks the fourth consecutive year that the national average exemption rate has hit a record high. AP News notes that the vast majority of these exemptions stem from parents withholding shots for non-medical reasons, with increases documented in 41 states and the District of Columbia.

ABC News previously reported that during the 2024–2025 school year, exemptions had already risen to 3.6 percent, with 17 states reporting exemption rates exceeding 5 percent. Geographically concentrated pockets of unvaccinated populations present acute transmission risks, creating ideal conditions for localized outbreaks to scale rapidly.

Policy Turmoil and Federal Guidance Shifts

Experts point directly to administrative friction and altered federal messaging as a primary catalyst for the widening coverage gap. According to AP News, public health specialists attribute the instability to ongoing turmoil within federal health leadership. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent voice in the anti-vaccine movement prior to his appointment by President Donald Trump, has spent the last 18 months attempting to revise childhood immunization guidance.

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Earlier this month, President Trump called for revamped childhood vaccination recommendations promoting the discredited theory that standard pediatric shots should be spaced out across separate medical visits.

Photo: apnews.com

“The root cause of this is primarily because there’s so much chaos and confusion in vaccination recommendation systems in the last year or so,” said Dr. James Campbell, a University of Maryland researcher who chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics infectious diseases committee, as reported by AP News. Campbell added that more than a quarter of a million children entering kindergarten are currently susceptible to measles.

ABC News medical contributor Dr. John Brownstein emphasized the systemic risks of this shift, stating, “Public health messaging has shifted in ways that place personal choice ahead of community protection. When federal leadership softens its stance on vaccination, it can accelerate hesitancy and legitimize non-medical exemptions, further weakening population level immunity.”

Measles Reemergence and Clinical Realities

The erosion of baseline immunity coincides with the worst year for measles in the United States since 1991. While hepatitis B vaccination rates held relatively steady—attributable to doses administered shortly after birth before recent federal recommendations could impact school-age cohorts—airborne and contact diseases are exploiting the growing vulnerability gaps.

Dr. Susan Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, underscored the fundamental mechanism of community defense in an official statement covered by ABC News: “As pediatricians, we know that immunizing children helps them stay healthy, and when everyone can be immunized, it’s harder for diseases to spread in our communities. By making sure all children can access immunizations before entering school with their classmates, children are best able to stay healthy to play, learn, and grow.”

State-level health departments are attempting to counter the trend as the school term begins. North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai noted in a public statement highlighted by AP News, “Back-to-school season is an important reminder that protecting our children’s health is both a shared responsibility and a shared goal. Vaccines help keep our children and teens healthy and in the classroom.”