Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Mike Stobbe

US school vaccination rates inch down yet again and exemptions reach record high

United States CDC Donald Trump James Campbell Robert F. Kennedy Jr Vaccine
Vaccination Rates - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates inched down again last year and the share of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to federal data posted Monday.

The fraction of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 4.2%, up from 3.6% the year before. That’s an estimated 155,000 children nationally during the 2025-2026 school year.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Selena Gomez Fans Beg Her To Dump Benny Blanco After Latest Comment About Their Relationship
What seemed like a funny story about their relationship left some viewers deeply uncomfortable, with critics accusing Benny Blanco of repeatedly embarrassing Selena Gomez in public.
Bored Panda
Bored Panda
AI can help with academic research but doesn’t always get it right – here are some tips to check the information you receive
Almost 25% of adults in the United States are using artificial intelligence chatbots on a daily basis, a 2026 Pew Research Center study found.
The Conversation
The Conversation
Blink-182's Travis Barker Shares Candid Hospital Bed Photo With Kourtney Kardashian
Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker shared photos from a recent hospital visit featuring wife Kourtney Kardashian Barker and daughter Alabama, without disclosing details of his treatment
International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
The 'World's Oldest' Bartender's Very Illegal Basement Bar
A recent profile of 103-year-old Irv Koch's basement bar highlights all the ways that modern zoning codes crush novel and fun third places.
Reason
Reason
Harry Potter and Cursed Child director pushed back on making play shorter: ‘I was dragged kicking and screaming’
Play, which originally opened in 2016 as two parts, has been condensed into one production
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Smokers have a lower risk of Parkinson’s – we may have found out why
Smoking is one of the biggest causes of ill health and early death. Yet smokers seem to have a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease than non-smokers – by around half according to some studies.
The Conversation
The Conversation
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play