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U.S. Kindergarten Vaccination Rates Drop Below 95% as Exemptions Hit Record High

CDC data showing vaccination coverage falling below the herd immunity threshold has prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics to call for ending nonmedical exemptions.

An MMR vaccine at the City of Lubbock Health Department in Lubbock, Texas, on February 27.
A sign reading "measles testing" is seen as an outbreak in Gaines County, Texas, has raised concerns over its spread to other parts of the state, in Seminole, Texas, U.S., February 25, 2025. REUTERS/Sebastian Rocandio/File Photo
Raynard Covarrubio administers an MMR vaccine at a vaccine clinic in Lubbock, Texas, on March 1.
FILE - Vials of the measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine are displayed in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

Overview

  • Vaccination coverage among kindergartners in the 2024–25 school year fell to between 92.1% for DTaP and 92.5% for MMR, below the 95% level needed to prevent outbreaks.
  • Exemptions for one or more vaccines reached 4.1% of incoming kindergartners, the highest rate on record, with increases reported in 36 states plus the District of Columbia and 17 states exceeding 5%.
  • The United States has confirmed more than 1,333 measles cases in 2025, marking the worst outbreak since 2000 and disproportionately affecting unvaccinated children and teens.
  • The American Academy of Pediatrics issued an updated policy statement on July 28 urging the elimination of nonmedical exemptions for routine childhood vaccines to rebuild community immunity.
  • Public health experts attribute the decline to growing hesitancy fueled by COVID-19 misinformation, varied state exemption laws and vaccine skepticism linked to HHS leadership under Robert F. Kennedy Jr.