US kindergarten vaccination rates hit record low amid rising exemptions

U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates have fallen for the fourth consecutive year, with the share of children receiving exemptions reaching a record high of 4.2% in the 2025-26 school year. This trend means an estimated 155,000 children nationally are not vaccinated due to parental exemptions, most of which are for nonmedical reasons.

The decline in vaccination rates is mirrored by an increase in exemptions in 41 states and the District of Columbia. Experts, including Dr. James Campbell of the American Academy of Pediatrics, point to significant "chaos and confusion" in federal vaccination recommendation systems over the past year as a primary cause. This confusion stems from repeated attempts by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other federal officials to revise and reduce childhood vaccination guidance, including President Trump's recent call for spaced-out vaccination schedules.

Nationally, only 92.4% of kindergartners received the required measles-mumps-rubella shots, a slight decrease from the previous year. This falls below the 95% threshold considered necessary to prevent widespread outbreaks. Rates for polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and chickenpox vaccines also saw declines. The CDC data emerges as the U.S. grapples with its worst measles year since 1991, leaving over a quarter-million entering kindergartners susceptible to the disease. These unvaccinated children are not evenly distributed, contributing to localized measles outbreaks.

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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.