Fewer kindergartners are getting routine vaccinations compared to pre-pandemic times, dipping from 95% in the 2019-20 school year to less than 93% in 2023-24, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Meanwhile, the vaccination exemption rate for this group rose from 2.5% in 2019-20 to 3.3.% — the highest level ever reported — last year. Exemptions increased in 41 states and territories, and surpassed 5% in 14 of them. That amounts to more than 126,000 kindergartners with an exemption from at least one vaccination for the 2023-24 school year.

The combined decrease in routine shots and increase in exemptions “jeopardize” the 95% kindergartner vaccination rate goal for measles, mumps and rubella by 2030 set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It also “set[s] the stage for accumulation of clusters of undervaccinated children, which can lead to outbreaks.”

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