Aug 11, 2025 - News
Colorado kindergartners' vaccine rates lag in 2025
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Vaccination rates among Colorado kindergartners stayed stubbornly low during the 2024-2025 school year, new CDC data shows.
Why it matters: The stagnation comes as U.S. measles cases reach a 33-year high, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. challenges long-standing vaccine norms ahead of the start of school.
By the numbers: 4.2% of Colorado kindergartners were exempt from one or more vaccines — unchanged from last year and above the national average of 3.6%.
- Colorado's goal for herd immunity is 95% coverage for core vaccines like MMR, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella.
- Last school year, Colorado kindergartners' MMR coverage was 88%, Polio was 87.6% and DTaP was 87.4%. Only Hepatitis B topped 90%.
The big picture: Vaccine exemptions rose in 36 states and Washington, D.C., underscoring national concerns about a resurgence of avoidable diseases.