U.S. school vaccination rates inch down again as exemptions reach record high

Kindergarten vaccination rates in the United States have continued their downward trend, with the share of children receiving required shots inching down again last year. Simultaneously, the percentage of children with vaccine exemptions has climbed to an all-time high, according to federal data released Monday. The proportion of students exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 4.2% for the 2025-2026 school year, an increase from 3.6% the previous year, impacting an estimated 155,000 children nationwide.

This marks the fourth consecutive year that the national average exemption rate has reached a new record. The vast majority of these exemptions are sought by parents for nonmedical reasons. Exemptions saw an increase in 41 states and the District of Columbia. Experts point to significant turmoil and confusion within the federal health system as a primary driver of this trend.

Dr. James Campbell of the American Academy of Pediatrics described the situation as stemming from "so much chaos and confusion in vaccination recommendation systems in the last year or so." This instability is exacerbated by recent attempts by federal health officials to revise and reduce childhood vaccination guidance. Earlier in August, President Donald Trump advocated for revamped recommendations, promoting a theory that childhood shots should be spaced out over separate visits.

Vaccination rates have fallen for several key diseases. The CDC reported that 92.4% of kindergarteners received their required measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) shots, a slight decrease from the prior year. This rate is below the 95% threshold considered necessary to prevent widespread outbreaks. Rates for polio, the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis combination vaccine, and the first dose of the chickenpox vaccine also declined. The U.S. is currently experiencing its worst year for measles since 1991, with the data indicating that over a quarter-million entering kindergartners are susceptible.

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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.