Vaccine exemptions keep rising in North Carolina
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The vaccination rates of North Carolina kindergartners continues to decrease while the number of students with exemptions grows.
The big picture: Vaccination rates among all American kindergartners decreased during the 2025–2026 school year for all tracked vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Monday.
- Exemptions from getting one or more vaccines increased in 41 states and the District of Columbia, growing to 4.2% from 3.6% the year before.
Between the lines: The drop-off coincided with continued efforts by the Trump administration to make controversial vaccine policy changes and with measles cases hitting levels not seen in more than three decades.
By the numbers: Coverage for the MMR, DTaP, polio and varicella vaccines decreased in more than half of states, ranging from 92% for the diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine to 92.4% for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and polio vaccines.
- Public health officials say overall measles vaccination rates should remain above 95% to maintain herd immunity.
- In North Carolina, 93.7% of kindergartners had received MMR vaccines and 93.4% had received the DTaP vaccine, according to CDC data.
Zoom out: MMR vaccine coverage among kindergartners by state ranged from 98.9% in West Virginia to 75.2% in Idaho.
What they're saying: The CDC said in a statement that the data showed a 0.1% decline in vaccination coverage among children entering kindergarten.
- The agency said it continues to encourage parents to discuss vaccination options with their doctors.