K-12 vaccination rates in WA dropped again
School vaccination rates among Washington’s K-12 students dropped again for the fifth consecutive year, continuing a downward trend that’s persisted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the 2024-25 school year, about 89.6% of students were up-to-date with required immunizations, including for measles, polio, whooping cough, chickenpox and other diseases, according to data from the state Department of Health. The update marks a slight fall from last year, when about 90.8% students were considered to be fully vaccinated, and records declines in 30 of Washington’s 39 counties.
The percentage of vaccine exemptions for religious reasons has also ticked up the last several years. As of this past academic year, a little over 2% of students received religious exemptions, compared to 1.2% during the 2020-21 year.
The dip in school vaccination rates in Washington coincides with growing anti-vaccine sentiment throughout the country, bolstered by Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and other anti-vaccine advocates appointed to government health positions this year. Meanwhile, parts of the U.S. are battling historic outbreaks of measles and whooping cough, both highly contagious and vaccine-preventable diseases.
According to the new DOH data, K-12 vaccination rates ranged throughout the state – from 96.5% in Douglas County to 68.5% in Pend Oreille County. Between the 2023-24 school year and this past one, overall immunization rates rose in seven counties.
Washington’s Office of Immunization, housed within the health department, acknowledged significant vaccination gaps in different parts of the state” in a Wednesday statement sent to The Seattle Times. The office noted this past year’s overall rates are just “slightly lower” than last year’s.
In King County, about 90.7% of K-12 students were considered to be fully vaccinated this past year, the same as last year. There was also no change in Pend Oreille County, in northeast Washington near the Idaho border where immunization rates are the lowest.
In the southeast corner of the state, data shows some of the biggest bumps and sharpest declines. Columbia County, which enrolls about 1,200 K-12 students, recorded a 4.5% increase, while neighboring Asotin County’s vaccination rate fell more than 16% since last year.
Rates in Snohomish and Pierce counties dropped less than 1%. In Skagit County, about 5% fewer students were considered up-to-date this year.
“It remains important for families to keep their children up to date on vaccines as they prepare for the next school year and as the country continues to deal with disease outbreaks that vaccines can prevent,” the Office of Immunization wrote in the statement.
In Washington, students are required to be fully vaccinated against measles and at least 10 other diseases before school begins every year, though state law allows parents or guardians to claim exemptions for religious, medical or sometimes personal reasons.
While about 2% of K-12 students received religious exemptions statewide this past year, almost 3.5% of kindergartners opted out for religious reasons, state data shows. Medical exemptions have hovered at pretty consistent rates the last several years among both kindergartners and K-12 students.
Health officials have expressed concern over Washington’s growing number of vaccine exemptions over the last few years, especially as the state has started to see cases of measles emerge here in recent months. Public health teams have confirmed at least 10 measles infections among Washington residents this year, though officials say none have led to any outbreaks or significant community spread.
Those cases have popped up in King, Snohomish and Whatcom counties so far, and mostly have been connected to international travel or visitors, according to local public health teams. At least four cases have been among children or infants.
It’s not always immediately clear what the vaccination status is of people who become infected, according to public health officials.
This count does not include cases among those who traveled through the state while infectious, but who weren’t residents.
The statewide rate for MMR shots – the combined vaccine to protect against measles, mumps and rubella – was about 94.5% this past year, above the overall rate for all required vaccines but slightly below the herd-immunity threshold of 95% for measles.
“This is the first time this measure has fallen below 95% since we began collecting it in the 2019-2020 school year,” the Office of Immunization noted.
Among Washington kindergartners, MMR rates were just over 90%. Only four counties reported kindergarten MMR rates over 95%: Adams, Garfield, Wahkiakum and Yakima. Twenty counties reported MMR rates below 90% for the state’s youngest students, including Pierce, Spokane, Clark and Whatcom.
The measles vaccine, given in two doses, is about 97% effective at preventing disease, and provides long-lasting immunity. The first MMR shot is generally given when the child is 12-15 months old, and the second at 4-6 years old.
In April, state health officer Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett said he was worried that Washington’s kindergartners had lower MMR vaccination rates than those in Texas and New Mexico, which reported 93.2% and 94.8%, respectively. Both states have struggled in particular with massive measles outbreaks this year.
State health officials continue to work on improving school immunization rates, including through collaborating with local health departments across the state, providing education and communication to health providers and school staff, and increasing affordable access to childhood vaccination, the Office of Immunization said.
“We recommend families catch their children up on immunizations as soon as possible to reduce the chance of children getting sick from diseases that vaccines prevent,” the Office of Immunization statement said. “Children entering child care, kindergarten, and school in the fall will need to meet state immunization requirements in order to attend.