According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4.2% of kindergartners in the US, approximately 155,000 children, had at least one vaccine exemption during the 2025-26 school year, up from 3.6% the previous year. The majority of these exemptions were labeled as "non-medical", meaning parents opted out for personal or religious reasons rather than health concerns. This marks a trend that began during the COVID pandemic, with 41 states and Washington D.C. reporting increases in exemptions. Measles cases reached a 35-year high in 2026, with over 2,500 reported cases nationwide.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In the 2025-26 school year, about 155,000 kindergartners in the US had at least one vaccine exemption, a record high according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This represents 4.2% of all kindergartners, up from 3.6% the previous school year. The majority of these exemptions were labeled as "non-medical," meaning parents or caregivers opted out of vaccines for personal or religious reasons, rather than health reasons. This trend is particularly concerning because it reflects a rise in families resisting school vaccine requirements that began during the height of the Covid pandemic. 41 states and Washington D.C. reported increases in exemptions. The CDC data comes just after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reduce the number of recommended childhood vaccinations, which has been widely criticized by pediatricians and public health advocates.
Written for “Vaccine Exemption Controversy” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
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stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score -0.55 for article 970 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-08-25
The number of parents in the U.S. choosing not to vaccinate their children rose dramatically in the last school year, according to data released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
uncertain
number → choose → Control
All states require certain vaccines for children entering public school.
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states → require → school
During the 2025-26 school year, 4.2% of kindergartners, about 155,000 kids, had at least one vaccine exemption, up from 3.6% the previous school year.
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% → have → %
The vast majority of those exemptions were labeled as “non-medical,” meaning that parents or caregivers were opting out of the shots for personal or religious, rather than health, reasons.
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parents → label → reasons
Medical exemptions remained stable at 0.2%.
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exemptions → remain → %
Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to drive down the number of vaccines recommended for kids, a move that drew widespread criticism from pediatricians and public health advocates.
However, the new data reflects a trend of families resisting school vaccine requirements that began during the height of the Covid pandemic.
Forty-one states and Washington, D.C., reported increases in exemptions, according to the CDC.
The rise is “disappointing, but not surprising,” said Dr. David Margolius, director of the Cleveland Department of Public Health.
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Margolius → sign → Health
“It’s indicative of the lack of clear messaging at the national level about vaccines.”
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It → ’ → vaccines
Ohio’s vaccine exemption rate was at 5.7%, according to the CDC data, up from 4.7% the year before.
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rate → accord → %
Routine vaccination coverage for kindergartners dropped to 92% for the shot that protects against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (DTaP), and 92.4% for the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccines.
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that → drop → vaccines
That’s far lower than the 95% of the community that medical experts say need to be vaccinated against measles to prevent outbreaks.
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experts → ’ → outbreaks
This year marked a 35-year high in the nation’s number of measles cases.
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year → mark → cases
As of Monday, the country had logged 2,566 cases in 2026 alone, with ongoing outbreaks in several states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania and Utah.
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country → log → Ohio
The continued spread threatens the nation’s status of having eliminated measles from circulation achieved in 2000.
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spread → continue → 2000
The Pan American Health Organization is expected to make a decision on that in November.
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Organization → expect → November
Two doses of the MMR vaccine offer 97% protection against measles, usually for life.
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doses → offer → life
The number of kindergartners without a record of having both of those shots before school was about 280,000 last year, the CDC said.
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CDC → have → school
Nearly all people diagnosed with measles this year, 93%, were unvaccinated.
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people → diagnose → measles
In a statement to the media, the CDC said it “continues to encourage parents to discuss vaccination options with their doctors.”
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it → say → doctors
