All kindergarteners enrolled in Missouri schools must receive their required immunizations unless they have a documented religious or medical exemption. Over the course of seven academic years, religious exemptions have risen among kindergarteners, while medical exemptions have stayed mostly steady with minimal fluctuation. Chart shows the average percentage of students reported to have a religious or medical exemption, by exemption type, for kindergarteners enrolled in Missouri schools over the course of seven academic years (2016-2023). For both types of exemptions, average percentages were calculated by adding the percentage of students with exemptions for each of the required vaccines, then dividing by the number of vaccine types.
Religious Exemptions on the Rise Among Kindergarteners
All kindergarteners enrolled in Missouri schools must receive their required immunizations unless they have a documented religious or medical exemption. Over the course of seven academic years, religious exemptions have risen among kindergarteners, while medical exemptions have stayed mostly steady with minimal fluctuation.
