A record number of kindergartners in the U.S. had vaccine exemptions last school year, and fewer kids were fully vaccinated than the year before, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In the 2024-25 school year, 4.1 percent of kindergartners, equivalent to around 138,000 children, were exempt from at least one required vaccine. This is the highest exemption rate ever recorded, up from the previous high of 3.7 percent.
Vaccine coverage dropped in more than half of U.S. states, and exemptions increased in 36 states and Washington, D.C. Seventeen states now have exemption rates above 5 percent.
Notably, most of these exemptions were nonmedical, meaning parents chose not to vaccinate their children for personal or religious reasons.
This drop in vaccinations comes as the U.S. is seeing a surge in measles cases, the highest in 33 years, with over 1,330 reported cases across 39 states so far in 2025.
The CDC also said that about 286,000 kindergartners had no records showing they received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. These children were toddlers during the 2020 pandemic, when regular vaccinations were often delayed.
Last year, only 92.5 percent of kids had received their MMR and polio shots, and 92.1 percent had gotten vaccines for tetanus and whooping cough. Both numbers were lower than the previous year.
"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 CDC said in a statement.
"CDC is committed to working closely with state and local partners by providing tools, resources, and data that help communities promote vaccine access and awareness."
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