US childhood vaccination rates fall again as exemptions set another
record
[August 01, 2025]
By MIKE STOBBE
NEW YORK (AP) — 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 Thursday.
The fraction of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 4.1%, up
from 3.7% the year before. It's the third record-breaking year in a row
for the exemption rate, and the vast majority are parents withholding
shots for nonmedical reasons.
Meanwhile, 92.5% of 2024-25 kindergartners got their required
measles-mumps-rubella shots, down slightly from the previous year.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the vaccination rate was 95% — the level
that makes it unlikely that a single infection will spark a disease
cluster or outbreak.
The vaccination numbers were posted as the U.S. experiences its worst
year for measles spread in more than three decades, with more than 1,300
cases so far.
“The concern, of course, is that with a further dip in the (vaccination)
coverage, we’re going to see even more measles in the coming months,”
said Dr. Sean O’Leary, of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
It's possible that this year's outbreaks may spur more parents to get
their children vaccinated before they go to school, said O'Leary, a
University of Colorado pediatric infectious diseases specialist.
But Dr. Philip Huang isn't optimistic. Texas was particularly hard hits
by measles this year, with more than half of the cases reported
nationally. Despite that, the state passed a law making it easier for
parents to get school vaccine exemptions for their kids.
“It's crazy,” said Huang, Dallas County's health director.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traditionally releases
the vaccination coverage data in its flagship publication, the Morbidity
and Mortality Weekly Report. CDC officials usually speak to the trends
and possible explanations, and stress the importance of vaccinations.
This year, the agency quietly posted the data online and — when asked
about it — emailed a statement.
“The decision to vaccinate is a personal one. Parents should consult
their health care providers on options for their families,” the
statement said, adding; “Vaccination remains the most effective way to
protect children from serious diseases like measles and whooping cough,
which can lead to hospitalization and long-term health complications.”
The wording is more ambivalent about the importance of vaccinations than
in the past. That is in keeping with communications from U.S. Health
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading voice in the anti-vaccine
movement before President Donald Trump put him in charge of federal
health agencies.
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Vials of the measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine are displayed
in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Julio
Cortez, File)
 O'Leary noted the changes in the CDC
messaging, which places personal choice before community protection.
“To sort of weaken the language or weaken the messaging that they're
sending is very concerning, because what they say does matter,” he
said.
Public health officials focus on vaccination rates for
kindergartners because schools can be cauldrons for germs and
launching pads for community outbreaks.
For years, those rates were high, thanks largely to school
attendance mandates that required key vaccinations. All U.S. states
and territories require that children attending child care centers
and schools be vaccinated against a number of diseases, including,
measles, mumps, polio, tetanus, whooping cough and chickenpox.
All states allow exemptions for children with medical conditions
that prevent them from receiving certain vaccines. And most also
permit exemptions for religious or other nonmedical reasons.
In the last decade, the percentage of kindergartners with medical
exemptions has held steady, at about 0.2%. But the percentage with
nonmedical exemptions has risen.
The rates can be influenced by policies that make it harder or
easier to obtain exemptions, and by local attitudes among families
and doctors about the need to get children vaccinated. Online
misinformation and the political divide that emerged around COVID-19
vaccines have led more parents to question routine childhood
vaccinations, experts say.
According to the CDC data, 15.4% of kindergartners had an exemption
to one or more vaccines in Idaho in the last school year. But fewer
than 0.5% did in Connecticut.
It’s good news that the vast majority of parents continue to get
their kids vaccinated, O’Leary said. And it’s noteworthy that there
is a gap between the percentage vaccinated and the percentage who
are exempted — meaning there likely are unmet access issues, he
added.
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