Kindergarten vaccine exemptions jump to another record high

More U.S. kindergartners than ever before have been allowed to skip required school vaccines this year. New federal data shows that 4.2 percent of kindergartners — about 155,000 kids — had vaccine exemptions for the 2025–2026 school year. That is up from 3.6 percent the year before, setting a new record high. The data comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, known as the CDC, and was released on Monday.

As more students skip vaccines, vaccination rates across the country have been falling. The share of kindergartners who received the MMR vaccine — which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella — dropped to 92.4 percent this school year. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, that number was about 95 percent. Experts say 95 percent coverage is needed to stop a disease from spreading through a community.

Other required vaccines also saw small drops. Coverage for the DTaP vaccine, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough, fell to 92 percent. The polio vaccine rate also dropped slightly, to 92.4 percent. These declines happened in more than half of all U.S. states for the second year in a row.

Most of the new exemptions were nonmedical, meaning families chose not to vaccinate for personal or religious reasons rather than for health reasons. Exemptions went up in 41 states and Washington, D.C., compared with 36 states the year before. Twenty-four states now have exemption rates above 5 percent.

This news comes at a serious time. The U.S. is dealing with its worst measles outbreak in 35 years. As of Friday, the CDC reported 2,566 confirmed measles cases so far this year — already more than all of last year. Ninety-three percent of those cases were in people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown.

President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have been pushing for big changes to the childhood vaccine schedule. Last week, Trump directed health officials to consider giving the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines as three separate shots instead of the combined MMR shot. He also wants children to get their vaccines spread out over more doctor visits.

But doctors and scientists strongly disagree with this plan. The CDC itself says on its website that no published scientific evidence shows any benefit in separating the MMR vaccine into three individual shots. Major medical groups also oppose the change. Splitting the MMR shot would mean a child who now gets two shots would instead need six, requiring three times as many doctor visits.

Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana and a doctor himself, strongly criticized the plan. He said that splitting the vaccine would mean more shots, more doctor visits, and higher costs for families. He also pointed out that it would make it harder for parents to find time to bring their kids in for care.

The MMR vaccine has been studied for decades and is considered very safe. Two doses protect about 97 percent of people from getting measles, which can cause pneumonia, brain swelling, and in rare cases, death. Scientists have also found no link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

It is important to know that states — not the federal government — set the vaccine rules for school attendance. As of August 11, 30 states have said they will no longer rely only on federal guidelines. Parents who have questions about vaccines their children need for school should check with their state health department or their child's doctor.