Vaccine rates fall again among WA kindergartners; K-12 numbers steady

The briefing

Recent data from the Washington State Department of Health shows that while overall K-12 vaccination rates remained steady at roughly 90%, rates for kindergartners dropped to about 87%. Pediatricians and public health officials attribute the decline to growing misinformation, political polarization around vaccines, and lingering skepticism following COVID-19 disruptions. Vaccination rates for this age group have failed to rebound to pre-pandemic peaks since the 2020-2021 school year.