CDC data shows U.S. kindergarten MMR vaccination falls to 92.4%, nonmedical exemptions hit 4%

August 18, 2026 at 03:08 AM1 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

CDC data released Monday show U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates fell again in the 2025–2026 school year, with MMR coverage at 92.4 percent, down from 92.5 percent. Nonmedical exemptions rose to 4 percent from 3.2 percent, and only 10 states met the 95 percent threshold for MMR.

Key Facts

Only 10 states met the 95% MMR threshold: West Virginia, Connecticut, Maine, New York, Mississippi, Rhode Island, Maryland, Massachusetts, California, and New Mexico.
DTaP coverage among U.S. kindergartners slipped to 92.0% in 2025–2026, from 92.1% the previous year.
More than half of states recorded decreases in MMR, DTaP, polio, and varicella vaccines.
Medical exemptions remained at 0.2% in recent years.

Coverage Decline

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released 2025–2026 school year vaccination data for U.S. kindergartners on Monday. National MMR coverage fell to 92.4 percent from 92.5 percent in 2024–2025. DTaP coverage dipped from 92.1 percent to 92.0 percent. More than half of states saw decreases for MMR, DTaP, polio, and varicella vaccines.

Exemption Growth

Nonmedical exemptions rose to 4 percent of kindergartners in 2025–2026, up from 3.2 percent a year earlier. Medical exemptions held steady at 0.2 percent. Coverage rates have been slipping since 2019–2020, when around 95 percent of kindergartners were vaccinated.

Only 10 States at Threshold

Only 10 states reported MMR coverage at or above 95 percent. Those states are West Virginia, Connecticut, Maine, New York, Mississippi, Rhode Island, Maryland, Massachusetts, California, and New Mexico. The remaining states fell below the level needed to keep measles, mumps, and rubella outbreaks from spreading within communities.