Kindergarten Vaccination Rates Continue To Erode In Missouri

Data released last month from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) showed a further erosion in the number of kindergarteners vaccinated against infectious diseases. 

Only 89.5% of students across the state received two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shots.

That fell another half-point from 2024.

The news isn’t all grim since students from Crawford County entered kindergarten with a 96.7 percent vaccination rate.

That was an increase from 2024, when only 91.3 percent of county students received doses of the vaccine.

The number of students who had an exemption in 2024 was more than 4 percent, but that declined to 1.1 percent in 2025.

Two doses of the MMR vaccine can provide 97 percent lifetime protection against measles. Herd immunity can be achieved when 95 percent of a community is fully vaccinated.

That means Missouri’s measles vaccination rate is too low to protect children from potential outbreaks.

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases and one person can easily spread it to nine out of 10 people who are unvaccinated or have not acquired natural immunity.

Among infants and immunocompromised adults who become infected, a significant portion will require hospitalization, according to DHSS.

One in 5 will develop pneumonia, which can turn fatal. In some cases, a brain infection may occur and result brain damage or death.

Just seven years ago, before the COVID-19 pandemic, Missouri’s statewide vaccination was 94.6 percent. 

Misinformation regarding the COVID-19 vaccine would eventually envelop the MMR vaccine as well. It hit the tipping point in 2021 and vaccination rates began to descend. Non-medical exemptions are quickly on the rise. About 5 percent of students entering kindergarten in 2024 were granted the exemption. That rose to 6.1 percent in 2025, which outpaces the national average.