Vaccine exemptions among American kindergartners rose to 4.2 percent during the 2025 to 2026 school year, up from 3.6 percent a year earlier, and vaccination coverage fell for every vaccine the federal government routinely tracks, according to data the CDC posted to its SchoolVaxView system.
The new figures translate to roughly 155,000 children starting kindergarten with an exemption from at least one required vaccine, and about 280,000 attending school without documentation of completing the two-dose measles, mumps, and rubella series. Those two numbers describe different groups. The first covers children whose families filed paperwork. The second is larger and includes children whose records are simply incomplete.
For a parent, the practical question is not the national average. It is whether the specific classroom their child sits in has enough protected children to stop a virus from moving. The national figure cannot answer that, and this year the gap between states widened enough that the average is less useful than ever.
Where the Numbers Landed
National coverage ranged from 92.0 percent for the diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccine to 92.4 percent for both MMR and polio. The CDC said coverage decreased for all reported vaccines from the year before, with MMR, DTaP, polio, and varicella coverage falling in more than half of states.
Exemptions rose in 41 states and the District of Columbia, up from 36 states and the District the year before. Twenty-four states now report exemption rates above 5 percent, up from 17. State-level MMR coverage ranged from 98.9 percent in West Virginia down to 75.2 percent in Idaho, according to CDC figures reported this week.
That Idaho figure is the one worth pausing on. At roughly three in four kindergartners vaccinated against measles, the state is far below the 95 percent coverage public health officials say is needed to prevent sustained community spread. Texas, which absorbed a large outbreak shortly before this data was collected, held steady at 93.2 percent.
MedicalDaily previously reported that exemptions hit a then-record 3.6 percent, covering the 2024-2025 school year, affecting roughly 138,000 children. The latest 0.6-point rise is double the 0.3-point increase recorded the year before, and the CDC attributes most of it to nonmedical exemptions.
The Measles Backdrop Has Changed
The context around these numbers is not the same as it was a year ago. The United States has confirmed 2,566 measles infections this year, the highest annual total in more than three decades. The Pan American Health Organization declared in late 2025 that the Americas region as a whole had lost its measles elimination status after sustained transmission in Canada, and a review of whether the United States still meets the elimination criteria it has held since 2000 is scheduled for November.
Declining coverage does not by itself cause an outbreak. Measles requires an introduction, usually from international travel, and then a pocket of susceptible people for the virus to move through. What falling coverage does is enlarge those pockets and make each introduction more likely to turn into sustained transmission rather than a handful of linked cases.
The CDC characterized the change as a 0.1 percentage point decline in coverage and said it continues to encourage parents to discuss vaccination with their doctors. That framing is accurate regarding the national coverage figure but understates the exemption movement, which rose six times faster in percentage points and was concentrated in specific states.
Pertussis is the quieter concern. DTaP coverage is now the lowest of the four tracked vaccines. Infants too young to complete the series depend almost entirely on the people around them being vaccinated.
One caution about interpreting the exemption figure. Not every child counted as exempt is unvaccinated, and not every unvaccinated child is exempt. Some families file an exemption for a single vaccine while accepting the rest. Others never file paperwork at all and enroll during a grace period or provisionally while catching up. States also define and grant exemptions differently, which is one reason the range between the highest and lowest states is so wide. The figure is a reasonable estimate of the national trend, rather than a precise count of susceptible children.
What Parents Can Reasonably Check
The most useful action is also the least dramatic. Confirm that your own child's records are complete, because a meaningful share of the 280,000 undocumented children are vaccinated but missing paperwork, and schools cannot tell the difference.
Beyond that, state averages will not tell you about your district. The CDC publishes coverage by state, not by county or school, a gap MedicalDaily has examined in detail. Some states publish school-level data, and many do not. Calling the district health office or the school nurse is often the fastest way to get a real number.
Families with infants under 12 months, immunocompromised children, or anyone who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons have the most at stake, because they rely on coverage around them rather than their own immunity. In communities with active transmission, some health departments have recommended an early MMR dose starting at six months, a decision that belongs with a pediatrician rather than a news article.
Adults uncertain of their immunization history can be safely vaccinated, even if previously immunized. MMR is covered without cost-sharing by most private insurance and Medicaid under preventive services rules, and the federal Vaccines for Children program supplies free vaccines for uninsured and underinsured children at participating providers.
Measles begins with three to five days of high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes before the rash appears. Anyone with those symptoms and a possible exposure should call ahead rather than walk into a waiting room, since the virus stays airborne for up to two hours.
Key Questions Answered
What exactly changed? Exemptions among kindergartners rose from 3.6 percent to 4.2 percent, about 155,000 children, and coverage fell for every routinely reported vaccine. Exemptions increased in 41 states and the District of Columbia.
How does that compare to the level needed to stop measles? Public health officials cite 95 percent two-dose MMR coverage as the threshold for preventing sustained spread. National coverage is 92.4 percent, and it has been below 95 percent since the 2020 to 2021 school year.
Which state is furthest below the threshold? Idaho has 75.2 percent MMR coverage among kindergartners. West Virginia reported the highest coverage at 98.9 percent.
Does an exemption mean a child is unvaccinated? Not necessarily for every vaccine. An exemption can apply to one or more vaccines. Separately, about 280,000 children lack documentation of completing MMR, which includes both unvaccinated children and vaccinated children with incomplete records.
Where can a parent find their own school's rate? Some states publish school- or district-level coverage, and many publish only state totals. The district health office or school nurse is usually the fastest source.
What should families with infants do? Infants under 12 months cannot complete the MMR series and depend on coverage around them. In areas with active transmission, some health departments recommend an early dose at six months, which a pediatrician should decide.
Is vaccination affordable for uninsured families? MMR is covered without cost-sharing by most private plans and Medicaid, and the Vaccines for Children program provides free vaccines for uninsured and underinsured children at participating providers.
