Composite story

Kindergarten vaccine exemptions hit a record 4.2%, CDC data show

About 155,000 U.S. kindergartners had at least one exemption last school year. Public-health voices call the coverage dip a real risk; a former CDC adviser says it is not a cause for panic.

CDC figures for the 2025-26 school year put kindergarten vaccine exemptions at a record 4.2%, or about 155,000 children, up from 3.6% the year before. Most exemptions were non-medical. MMR coverage among kindergartners was 92.4%, below the 95% threshold doctors cite, in a year with 2,566 measles cases. ABC, NBC, CBS and U.S. News treat the rise as a public-health warning. Fox News quotes former ACIP vice chair Robert Malone saying a 0.1% coverage dip is not particularly alarming.

Shared facts

That is roughly 155,000 children.

CDC’s statement noted a small decline in kindergarten vaccination coverage.

That was up from 3.6% a year earlier.

Most of the jump came from families claiming nonmedical exemptions.

CDC reported 92.4% of 2025-26 kindergartners got required MMR shots.

Exemptions increased in 41 states and D.C.

He said even small drops in coverage can fuel outbreaks.

Measles is spreading at its fastest U.S. pace in 35 years.

Trump directed officials to split MMR into three shots and spread immunizations across more visits.

About 280,000 kindergartners lacked documentation of two-dose MMR.

States, not the federal government, generally set school vaccine requirements.

Medical exemptions have held steady at about 0.2% over the last decade.

CDC had counted 2,566 confirmed measles cases as of Aug. 14.

DTaP combination-shot coverage also fell.

First-dose chickenpox coverage also fell.

CDC said 93% of measles patients were unvaccinated or had unknown status.

Hepatitis B coverage held steady.

Instead of urging vaccination, CDC said parents should discuss options with their doctors.

CDC says two MMR doses prevent about 97% of measles infections.

Idaho’s exemption rate was 17.5% last school year.

Fewer than 0.5% of Connecticut kindergartners had an exemption.

Disputed facts

None yet.

Shared opinions

None yet.

Disputed opinions

Racine said the risk is real.

ABC News

Vaccine exemption rate for kindergarteners reaches record high: CDC

Mary Kekatos

17 Aug 2026

Facts

The exemption rate was 2.2% in 2020-21.

Two-dose varicella coverage inched up from 92.1% to 92.2%.

He said many people were separated from their usual source of care during and after Covid.

Opinion

Margolius said childhood vaccination rates have been declining for some time.

ABC says it is unclear whether the rise is more opposition or more access barriers.

It's unclear whether the increase in exemptions is because more parents oppose routine childhood vaccines, or if they're opting for non-medical exemptions because they have barriers that make it difficult to vaccinate their children.

Maroglius said he believes it's both, noting that during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, many people were "separated" from their usual source of care.

fact

He said there is more apathy and confusion toward vaccine-preventable illnesses.

"And that had taken a couple of years because everything that happened during the pandemic was so jarring for that relationship and for folks' experiences. But I do think there's just more apathy and confusion out there toward these vaccine-preventable illnesses."

attribution · David Margolius

He said Cleveland families are only now being reunited with regular pediatricians.

"Here in Cleveland, it feels like [people are] just starting to be reunited with ... their regular pediatricians," he said.

"And that had taken a couple of years because everything that happened during the pandemic was so jarring for that relationship and for folks' experiences. But I do think there's just more apathy and confusion out there toward these vaccine-preventable illnesses."

attribution · David Margolius

NBC News

Childhood vaccine exemptions for personal or religious reasons hit new record

Erika Edwards

17 Aug 2026

Facts

Trump signed an executive order to drive down the number of vaccines recommended for kids.

That order drew widespread criticism from pediatricians and public-health advocates.

NBC says the data reflects a trend of resisting school vaccine rules that began in the Covid pandemic.

Ohio’s exemption rate was 5.7%, up from 4.7%.

Continued spread threatens the U.S. measles-elimination status achieved in 2000.

Outbreaks were ongoing in several states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania and Utah.

PAHO is expected to decide on that status in November.

Opinion

He said the rise shows a lack of clear national messaging about vaccines.

Fox News

Former CDC advisor says decline in kindergarten vaccinations nothing to worry about: 'Keep calm and carry on'

Fox News Digital

18 Aug 2026 revised 19 Aug 2026

Facts

Robert Malone is a former vice chair of CDC’s ACIP.

He said that in some contexts the U.S. average shows roughly a 1% shift.

"The latest CDC data indicates a 0.1% year-in-year decline in the uptake or acceptance of the vaccine schedule among kindergartners. In certain contexts, the average across the United States shows roughly a 1% shift. Regardless, we are still talking about a very low single-digit lack of compliance with the CDC's recommended vaccine schedule," Malone, an accredited physician and veteran scientist, told Fox News Digital.

attribution · Robert Malone

He cited CNBC’s mention of a U.S. measles outbreak and said the U.S. is not an outlier.

Malone specifically cited CNBC's coverage and its mention of an ongoing measles outbreak in the U.S., stressing that the U.S. is not an outlier.

"Media outlets like CNBC have highlighted that we are in the middle of a historic measles outbreak. However, context is critical: this outbreak is not restricted to the United States. It is occurring worldwide, including in Canada and across many nations that have not experienced this level of vaccine controversy or hesitancy," he told Fox News Digital.

"Regarding the overall picture: measles cases are on the rise globally, and vaccination remains the most effective protection against infection. However, does this new kindergarten data represent a major threat? Absolutely not," he stated to Fox News Digital.

fact

He said vaccination is still the best protection against measles.

Malone was a vocal critic of Covid-19 vaccine mandates.

Opinion

Malone criticized media coverage of the data drop.

He pinned some of the coverage dip on falling trust in the scientific establishment.

Malone, who was a vocal critic of vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic, did pin some blame on falling trust in the scientific establishment for the slight downtick in inoculations.

"Does it represent a potential signal that a certain part of the population, very small, is growing in its skepticism of the benefits of childhood vaccination? I would say, yeah, that is that signal," he told Fox News Digital.

center · pluralist

He said kindergarten vaccine uptake remains robust despite autism-schedule controversy.

"Despite all of that, despite all the controversy around the potential role, the hypothesized role of childhood vaccine schedules being linked in some way to autism, we still have very robust year-in, year-out uptake of vaccines in kindergarten ages," Malone told Fox News Digital.

attribution · Robert Malone

Malone said there were government communication failures during Covid, highlighted in Fauci hearings.

"I think we can all agree [there were] failures in accurate communication by the government during COVID. And certainly they're highlighted in the recent Tony Fauci hearings and the various disclosures coming out of the Senate," Malone told Fox News Digital.

attribution · Robert Malone

CBS News

School vaccination rates decline again to record low as exemptions reach new high

Associated Press

17 Aug 2026

Facts

It is the fourth consecutive year the national average exemption rate set a record.

RFK Jr. was a leading anti-vaccine voice before becoming U.S. health secretary.

Kennedy and other federal officials have tried to revise and reduce childhood vaccination guidance.

Medical organizations say that spacing idea is not supported by research.

Polio vaccination rates also fell.

Unvaccinated children are concentrated in some places, helping explain uneven measles waves.

Campbell said infant hepatitis B rec changes will take years to show in kindergarten rates.

But that's a vaccine given shortly after birth, and it will take a few years before recent federal efforts to upend infant hepatitis B vaccine recommendations would appear in the vaccination rates of kindergartners, Campbell said.

attribution · James Campbell

Officials are encouraging parents to vaccinate children as the school year starts.

Since the Trump administration took office, CDC has posted the data online.

CDC previously released the coverage data in MMWR.

CDC officials usually speak to the trends and stress vaccinations’ importance.

Most states also permit religious or other nonmedical exemptions.

All states allow medical exemptions from certain vaccines.

Officials focus on kindergarten rates because schools can seed community outbreaks.

Opinion

Experts pointed to turmoil caused by federal health officials.

An AAP doctor said chaos in vaccination recommendation systems is the primary root cause.

N.C.’s health secretary said protecting children’s health is a shared back-to-school responsibility.

"Back-to-school season is an important reminder that protecting our children's health is both a shared responsibility and a shared goal," North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai said in a statement.

"Vaccines help keep our children and teens healthy and in the classroom."

attribution · Dev Sangvai

U.S. News & World Report

Kindergarten Vaccine Exemptions Hit Record High, New CDC Data Show

Ellyn Vohnoutka

18 Aug 2026

Facts

Twenty-four states report exemption rates above 5%.

Coverage slipped for every vaccine CDC tracks.

Nonmedical school exemptions are typically religious or personal-belief.

Coverage dropped in more than half of states for a second year.

That already exceeded the 2,289 cases logged in all of 2025.

The data arrived alongside a White House push to remake the childhood schedule.

Separate MMR component vaccines are not sold in the U.S.

CDC’s statement did not mention the record exemption rate.

KFF said 30 states had stopped relying solely on federal childhood-vaccine guidance.

Opinion

No opinion marked.