HONOLULU, Hawaiʻi – Vaccination rates among kindergartners in Hawaiʻi improved for the 2024-2025 school year compared to the previous year, but continue to lag behind national averages. Conversely, religious exemptions for K-12 students are on the rise across all grades, according to new data from the Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The DOH highlights that these trends come at a critical time, with high numbers of measles cases breaking out on the mainland U.S. and worldwide, alongside a recent surge in pertussis (whooping cough) cases in Hawaiʻi.
Kindergarten Vaccination Trends (2022-2025):
VACCINECOVERAGE 2022-23 (HI)COVERAGE 2022-23 (Nat.)COVERAGE 2023-24 (HI)COVERAGE 2023-24 (Nat.)COVERAGE 2024-25 (HI)COVERAGE 2024-25 (Nat.)
DTP, DTaP or DT87.0%92.7%89.4%92.3%91.5%92.1%…