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Measles vaccination rate for Texas kindergarteners increased slightly after 2025 outbreak
Texas Tribune – Health · By By Terri Langford, DATA ANALYSIS AND GRAPHICS BY Dan Keemahill · July 2, 2026
In plain language
Following a major measles outbreak in 2025, vaccination rates for Texas kindergarteners saw a slight increase to 93.3% during the 2025-26 school year. Despite this small gain, overall childhood vaccination levels in Texas remain lower than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the number of families using conscientious exemptions to opt out of school-required vaccines reaching record highs, partly due to new state laws making exemption forms easier to access online.
AI-generated summary of the source article. Not medical advice.
Key takeaways
- Texas kindergarten measles vaccination rates rose slightly to 93.3% following a 2025 outbreak that killed two children.
- The number of Texas students opting out of vaccines for conscientious reasons increased by 20,000 over the previous year.
- Statewide vaccination rates for kindergarten and 7th grade remain below pre-pandemic levels for most required shots.
- A 2025 Texas law made vaccine exemption forms downloadable online rather than requiring them to be requested by mail.
- Only 96 out of 252 Texas counties met the 95% vaccination benchmark required for community protection against measles.
- Polio vaccine exemptions for kindergarteners have doubled since the pandemic began, reaching 4.59%.
A sign lets people know that measles vaccines are available in the Old City Hall in Andrews, Tx. " data-image-caption="Signs let people know that measles vaccines are available at the old City Hall in Andrews on March 6, 2025. Andrews is about halfway between Seminole in Gaines County, where the outbreak originated, and Odessa. " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.texastribune.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/030620Measles20Infrastructure20MR20TT2017-2-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" /> Despite the spike in demand for measles shots following the deadly 2025 outbreak, exemptions on all vaccines for schoolchildren rose after the release of a downloadable exemption form. The post Measles vaccination rate for Texas kindergarteners increased slightly after 2025 outbreak appeared first on The Texas Tribune.
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