Texas Kindergarten Measles Vaccination Rate Ticks Up to 93.3% as Exemptions Hit 4.45%
Updated
Updated · The Texas Tribune · Jul 2
Texas Kindergarten Measles Vaccination Rate Ticks Up to 93.3% as Exemptions Hit 4.45%
3 articles · Updated · The Texas Tribune · Jul 2
Summary
State data for 2025-26 showed Texas kindergarten measles coverage edging up to 93.3% from 93.2% after the 2025 West Texas outbreak, but still below the 95% herd-immunity benchmark.
Exemptions moved the other way: the kindergarten conscientious-exemption rate rose to 4.45%—double its pre-pandemic level—while more than 150,000 K-12 students had at least one vaccine exemption on file, up 20,000 from a year earlier.
County-level protection weakened despite the statewide gain, with 18 fewer counties meeting the 95% measles benchmark and 132 counties reporting at least 5% of kindergarteners exempted for measles.
Gaines County, the outbreak epicenter where two school-age children died, lifted kindergarten measles coverage by more than 2 points to 80%, while Terry County climbed to nearly 96%.
Officials and advocates said the picture is muddied by pandemic-disrupted childhood visits and falling delinquent records in some districts, even as a 2025 law made exemption forms downloadable and easier for parents to obtain.
After a deadly measles outbreak, why did Texas vaccine exemptions see their largest increase in over a decade?
With herd immunity failing in 132 counties, are Texas schools prepared for the next preventable disease outbreak?
As federal policy reevaluates childhood vaccines, what does this mean for the future of preventing forgotten diseases?
Texas Faces Measles Outbreaks as Kindergarten Vaccination Rates Drop to 93.24% Amid Policy Changes (2025–2026)
Overview
Texas is facing a sharp rise in measles cases, reflecting a national trend that threatens the United States' measles elimination status achieved in 2000. In 2025, the country saw 2,288 cases—the highest since 1991—and by May 2026, nearly 2,000 more cases and 30 new outbreaks had occurred across 40 states. Texas's recent outbreaks and challenges with vaccination coverage are a major part of this problem. The combination of easier exemption policies, pandemic-related disruptions, and falling vaccination rates has weakened community immunity, making both Texas and the nation more vulnerable to measles outbreaks and severe health consequences.