Wisconsin kindergarten vaccine rates remain low as measles cases climb
Vaccination rates for Wisconsin kindergartners remained mostly flat during the 2025-2026 school year from the prior year, new data show, leaving the state at the bottom of the pack nationally as the worst measles numbers the country has seen in decades persist.
The data was released Aug. 17 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the CDC data from the 2025-2026 school year:
- 85.1% of Wisconsin public and private school kindergartners were up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
- 86.4% were up to date on the combined vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.
- 92.2% were vaccinated against hepatitis B.
- 86.3% were vaccinated against polio.
- 84.3% were up to date on vaccination for varicella, or chicken pox.
- 7.3% claimed a non-medical exemption for one or more required vaccines, a 10-year high.
A spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services said declining vaccination rates and the growing number of exemptions leave schools and communities more vulnerable to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.
“We know that public health, health care, and other community partners are working hard to improve vaccination rates in Wisconsin and there is still more work to be done to get vaccination rates to the levels needed to prevent outbreaks from happening,” the spokesperson said.
