Hawaii kindergarten vaccine rates fall to 89% for 2025-26 school year

Aug 20, 2026

Fewer Hawaii kindergartners are showing up to school vaccinated, which worries health officials and reverses three years of gains.

  • Kindergarten vaccination in Hawaii fell to 89% this school year, down from 92%.
  • Religious exemptions rose from 5.5% to 6% of kindergartners.
  • State health officials say the drop wipes out a three-year run of improvement.
  • Lower coverage raises the risk of outbreaks of diseases like measles in schools.

Outlook: Health officials are expected to push harder on childhood immunization as the new school year gets underway.

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