Oregon has reached a record-high vaccine exemption rate, with 9.7% of kindergartners claiming nonmedical exemptions from school vaccination requirements for the 2024-2025 school year, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
The exemption rate marks the highest level ever recorded in the state and represents the third consecutive year of increases. Oregon now has the third-highest kindergarten vaccine opt-out rate in the country, behind only Idaho at 15.1% and Utah at 10%, and nearly triple the national average of 3.4%.
Oregon's Vaccine Exempt Rate
The trend reflects a broader national pattern of declining vaccination confidence among parents, particularly in rural and western states.
The record-high exemptions come as Oregon faces serious disease outbreaks. The state reported 1,475 cases of whooping cough (pertussis) in 2025 as of December, breaking the previous record of 1,420 cases set in 1950, according to WWeek.
Officials documented 87 infant pertussis cases this year, with 22 hospitalizations and one infant death. Whooping cough is particularly dangerous for infants under six months old, who cannot yet be fully protected by vaccination.
Exemption rates vary significantly across Oregon counties. Wheeler County recorded the highest exemption rate at 38.5%, while Jefferson County had the lowest at 5.1%. Overall vaccination rates also differ widely, with Wheeler County showing only 61.5% of kindergartners fully vaccinated, compared to Gilliam County at 92.3%. Urban counties generally report lower exemption rates than rural areas.
Read more: More Parents Are Opting Out of Vitamin K Shots for Their Newborn Babies, Sparking Health Concerns
Oregon is one of just 15 states that allow parents to claim nonmedical exemptions for philosophical or personal reasons. To obtain an exemption, parents must either watch an online vaccine education video or receive counseling from a healthcare provider, OPB reported.
However, this requirement has not slowed the rising exemption trend in recent years, raising questions about the effectiveness of current policies.
Opting Out of the Injections
Public health officials express concern that the state falls far short of the 95% vaccination rate needed for herd immunity to prevent disease outbreaks. Only 86.3% of Oregon kindergartners were fully vaccinated for all required vaccines in 2025, down from 88.4% in 2022.
Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state epidemiologist at Oregon Public Health, said the growing trend of nonmedical exemptions threatens to undo decades of progress and puts communities at risk. Health officials attribute the increase to multiple factors, including vaccine hesitancy that grew during the COVID-19 pandemic and misinformation about vaccine safety.
The state has launched public awareness campaigns to address vaccine concerns and encourage parents to vaccinate their children. School districts are also working with local healthcare providers to improve access to vaccination clinics, as per the Lundre Report.
