US EditionTexas seeing an increase in kindergarteners who don’t meet state requirements for measles shots
Texas kindergarten measles vaccine delinquency more than doubled since 2019, reaching up to 44% in some districts amid pandemic disruptions and rising exemption rates, officials said.
- In recent years, a Texas Tribune analysis found the Texas measles kindergarten vaccination rate fell to 93%, its lowest since at least 2011, with delinquency rising from 2019-20 to 2024-25.
- Public health officials say the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine pediatric checkups, while access to free vaccine doses dwindled amid funding cuts and politicization this year.
- District data show wide variation, with KIPP Texas Public Schools at 44%, Spring ISD at 30%, Austin ISD at 23%, Dallas ISD at 20%, Houston ISD at 7%, and Austin ISD's rate dropping to 6% by May 2025.
- Public-Health experts warn falling coverage leaves children vulnerable and threatens those who cannot be vaccinated, with the state recording two measles deaths this year, girls ages 6 and 8.
- Starting Sept. 1, Texas parents can download exemption forms, but officials say impacts won't show until next year, with more than 16,000 exemptions and about 9,000 vaccine delinquent students; local public health departments reduced clinic support complicates catch-up.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Texas Seeing an Increase in Kindergarteners Who Don't Meet State Requirements for Measles Shots
Before the pandemic helped fuel the growth of vaccine politicization across the country, less than 1% of Austin school district’s kindergarteners in the fall of 2019 failed to comply with the state’s vaccine reporting requirements.
Texas seeing an increase in kindergarteners who don’t meet state requirements for measles shots
A Texas Tribune analysis has found an increase in the number of kindergarteners who don't meet the state requirements for measles vaccines or for submitting paperwork for an exemption.
More Texas kindergartners are coming to school without measles vaccination proof or exemptions
Before the pandemic helped fuel the growth of vaccine politicization across the country, less than 1% of Austin school district’s kindergartners in the fall of 2019 failed to comply with the state’s vaccine reporting requirements.
Associated Press News
Texas seeing an increase in kindergarteners who don't meet state requirements for measles shots
Before the pandemic helped fuel the growth of vaccine politicization across the country, less than 1% of Austin school district’s kindergarteners in the fall of 2019 failed to comply with the state’s vaccine reporting requirements.
San Antonio Express-News
More Texas kindergarteners are coming to school without measles vaccination proof or exemptions
In school districts and charter networks with the most vaccine delinquencies, as many as 44% of kindergarteners were not complying with state requirements.
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