Data shows three years of declining vaccine rates among Oregon kindergarteners

Nearly one in 10 Oregon kindergartners aren’t fully vaccinated because their parents asked for nonmedical vaccine exemptions, setting a state record.

In the 2024-25 school year, 9.7% of kindergartners received nonmedical exemptions from Oregon’s school vaccination requirements, according to new data from the Oregon Health Authority.

This is the highest rate recorded in the state’s history, and it’s an increase from last year when 8.8% of kindergarteners claimed nonmedical vaccine exemptions — which put Oregon with the fourth-highest nonmedical exemption rate in the country behind Idaho, Alaska and Utah. National data is not yet available to compare this year’s rate with other states.

Oregon law mandates that all children attending public and private schools, preschools, child care facilities and Head Start programs must be vaccinated or have a medical or nonmedical exemption to remain enrolled.

All states have some level of school vaccine mandates and allow exemptions for medical reasons, such as a history of severe allergic reactions or immune-compromising diseases like cancer. Most states also allow exemptions for religious reasons, but Oregon is one of only 15 states that allow parents to decline required vaccines based on non-religious personal beliefs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Vaccines are safe and proven to protect against many diseases — such as polio, mumps and pertussis — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And high vaccine rates protect people who can’t receive vaccines, including young children and immune-compromised people, by reducing opportunities for diseases to spread.

But Oregon’s vaccine rates among kindergarteners has consecutively declined for the last three years. Data from the Oregon Immunization Program show 86.3% of Oregon kindergarteners were fully vaccinated with all required vaccines for this school year, a slight decrease from 86.4% last year.

“An immunized community is our most effective defense against diseases such as measles,” Oregon Immunization Program School Immunization Coordinator Stacy de Assis Matthews said in a news release. “Robust vaccination coverage not only protects individual children but also safeguards those who cannot be vaccinated due to age, medical conditions or other vulnerabilities, helping protect our communities in Oregon.”

Most Oregon K-12 students are fully vaccinated

Despite the rise in nonmedical exemptions for vaccines among kindergarteners, Matthews said most Oregon students, or 90.4% of Oregon K-12 students, are fully vaccinated.

“Oregon’s immunization laws help protect more than 650,000 students in schools and child care programs,” Matthews said. “Every child’s immunization record is checked yearly, helping ensure equitable vaccine access for all Oregon children.”

Medical experts still expressed concern that Oregon’s vaccine rates are declining in children.

Dr. Paul Cieslak, the Oregon Health Authority’s medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations, said he was alarmed about the rise in exemption rates.

“The increase in nonmedical exemptions weakens community immunity, creating opportunities for outbreaks of serious diseases that vaccines have nearly eradicated,” he said in the release.

He cited CDC data showing that as of early May, 96% of the 1,001 measles cases across 31 different states were from individuals who did not receive the measles vaccine.

Oregon Public Health state epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger encouraged public trust in vaccine programs.

“Vaccines have transformed public health by dramatically reducing the burden of infectious diseases, enabling children to grow up in safe environments,” Sidelinger said. “The growing trend of nonmedical exemptions threatens to undo decades of progress and puts us all at risk. OHA is committed to providing accessible, science-based information to empower families to choose vaccination.”