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U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates hit record low
U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates have reached a historic low for the 2025-2026 school year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Vaccination coverage declined for every vaccine tracked by the agency, including measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), polio, and diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP).
Exemptions from vaccine requirements rose to 4.2 percent, up from 3.6 percent the previous year, affecting approximately 155,000 children. Most of these are nonmedical exemptions. This decline occurs alongside a significant measles outbreak, with the U.S. reporting the highest number of measles cases in 35 years.
Medical experts, including representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics, attribute the decline to confusion within vaccination recommendation systems. The shift follows changes in federal health leadership and policy directions under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Donald Trump, including efforts to revise childhood vaccination guidance and spacing out vaccine doses.
Entities
American Academy of Pediatrics · Andrew Racine · CDC · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · Donald Trump · Robert F. Kennedy Jr. · United States
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] More than 95 percent immunization is required for community immunity against diseases like measles. www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de
- [● 2 SOURCES] Kindergarten vaccine exemptions rose to 4.2 percent during the 2025-2026 school year. www.medicaldaily.com · www.edweek.org
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The increase in exemptions is primarily due to chaos and confusion in vaccination recommendation systems. www.edweek.org
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The DTaP vaccination rate for 2025-2026 kindergarteners was 92.0 percent. www.medicaldaily.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] MMR, DTaP, polio, and varicella coverage fell in more than half of states. www.medicaldaily.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Exemptions increased in 41 states and the District of Columbia. www.medicaldaily.com · www.edweek.org
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Vaccination coverage fell for every vaccine the CDC routinely tracks. www.medicaldaily.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] The MMR vaccination rate for 2025-2026 kindergarteners was 92.4 percent. www.medicaldaily.com · www.edweek.org
- [● 3 SOURCES] Diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccine coverage was 92.0 percent. www.medicaldaily.com · www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.edweek.org
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The United States has recorded the highest number of measles cases in 35 years. www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] Kindergarten vaccination coverage fell for every vaccine the CDC routinely tracks during the 2025-2026 school year. www.medicaldaily.com · www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.edweek.org
- [● 2 SOURCES] Approximately 155,000 children started kindergarten with an exemption from at least one required vaccine. www.medicaldaily.com · www.edweek.org