Health
U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates drop to decade low as measles cases rise, CDC data shows
Nonmedical exemptions doubled nationwide over the past decade as public health officials report more than 2,500 measles cases this year.
The short version
- U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates for measles, polio, and other infectious diseases dropped to record lows during the 2025–2026 school year.
- The national MMR vaccination rate among kindergartners decreased to 92.4% over the past decade, while nonmedical exemptions doubled to 4%.
- Health officials have recorded over 2,500 measles cases nationwide so far this year, the highest annual total since the virus was declared eliminated in the U.S. 25 years ago.
Key facts
- CDC data indicates that U.S. kindergarten MMR vaccination coverage fell from roughly 95% to 92.4% over the last 10 years.[Scientific American]
- The proportion of kindergartners receiving nonmedical vaccine exemptions nationwide doubled from 1.9% to 4% over the past decade.[Scientific American]
- More than 2,500 measles cases have been documented across the U.S. so far this year.[Scientific American]
- President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the division of the combination MMR vaccine into three separate injections.[Scientific American]
What remains uncertain
- It is unclear how President Trump's executive order attempting to separate the MMR vaccine will be operationalized or how it will impact future vaccination uptake.[Scientific American]
Sources
- See states’ kindergarten vaccination rates—from highest to lowestScientific American metered