Full Breakdown
Declining Kindergarten Vaccine Coverage Fuels U.S. Measles Surge
8/18/2026, 1:46:56 AM
Core Findings: Coverage Drops and Rising Exemptions
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data for the 2025-2026 school year showing that overall kindergarten vaccination coverage fell 0.1% from the prior year. Coverage was 92% for diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP) and 92.4% for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) as well as polio. Exemptions from one or more vaccines rose to 4.2% of kindergartners, up from 3.6% the year before, with increases reported in 41 states and Washington, D.C.; 24 states recorded exemptions exceeding 5%.
State Variations and Outbreak Context
The CDC identified West Virginia, Connecticut, Maine, New York and Mississippi as the states with the highest MMR coverage, while Idaho, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Utah and Arizona had the lowest. Texas maintained a steady 93.2% MMR rate after a severe measles outbreak the previous year, whereas California’s rate slipped 0.4 points to 95.7%, the largest decline since the pandemic onset. Nationwide, 2,566 measles cases have been confirmed this year—the highest tally in more than 35 years—coinciding with the steady decline in childhood MMR vaccination since 2019-20.
Policy Changes and Official Reactions
President Donald Trump signed an executive order limiting childhood vaccinations to 11 immunizations and recommending that the MMR vaccine be administered as three separate shots. This is the first kindergarten data released since Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a noted vaccine skeptic, became the nation’s health secretary. The CDC reiterated that at least 95% of the population needs two doses of measles vaccine to prevent outbreaks.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It's continuing a long trend in the wrong direction,” — John Grabenstein
- “It's not like a tipping point,” — John Grabenstein
