Here's how much vaccinations dropped among kindergartners during 2023 school year
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A CDC panel COVID-19 shots should be added to the lists of recommended vaccinations for kids and adults. The panel's decision is not mandatory. State and local officials are allowed to make their decisions about vaccination requirements for school attendance. For example, flu and HPV shots aren’t required by many schools.
Vaccinations among kindergartners in the United States saw a decline during the 2023-2024 school year, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The percentage of children vaccinated against key diseases like measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), and diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) dropped across the country, with many states reporting decreases in immunization rates for the second consecutive year.
Declining Vaccination Rates
The data revealed that vaccination coverage for the 2023-2024 school year was lower across all vaccines compared to the previous year.
The percentage of children vaccinated ranged from 92.3% for DTaP to 92.7% for MMR. The year prior, during the 2022-2023 school year, 92.7% of children were vaccinated for DTaP and 93.1% were vaccinated for MMR.
Despite the slight decrease, the vast majority of children are still vaccinated against the diseases.
The number of kindergartners attending school without documentation of completing the MMR vaccine series was about 280,000 during the 2023-2024 school year.
A school nurse, gives a child an immunization shot August 8, 2007 in Hialeah, Florida. (Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Exemptions
According to the CDC, exemptions from one or more vaccines among kindergartners in the U.S. also increased to 3.3% During the 2023-2024 school year from 3.0% the year before.
RELATED: Kindergarten vaccine exemptions reach all-time high
Exemptions increased in 40 states and DC, with 14 states reporting exemptions exceeding 5%.
The number of kindergartners exempt from one or more vaccines was about 127,000 during the 2023-2024 school year.