US school-entry vaccination rates fall as exemptions keep rising

AP Medical Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates dipped last year and the proportion of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high. That’s according to federal data posted Tuesday. Exemptions rose to 3.3%, up from 3% the year before. Meanwhile, nearly 93% of kindergartners got their required shots. That’s lower than where it was the previous two years. The rate was 95% in the years before the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s considered the ideal minimum level, because it makes it unlikely that a single infection will spark a disease cluster or outbreak. Public health officials focus on vaccination rates for kindergartners because schools can be cauldrons for germs and launching pads for community outbreaks.