Hawaiʻi DOH: vaccination gaps leave schools increasingly vulnerable to disease outbreaks

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health released its 2025–26 School Immunization and Examination Requirements Report, which found increases in religious exemption rates among kindergarten and seventh grade students. The assessment also found an increase in the percentage of kindergarten students missing immunizations needed for school attendance, while more than half of seventh graders remained not up to date on these immunizations. The annual assessment summarizes school-reported data on enrollment, exemptions, missing immunization records and incomplete immunizations. Kindergarten and seventh grade are key points of assessment because students entering these grades must meet specific school health requirements. The findings point to different challenges across grade levels. Kindergarten saw increases in both missing needed vaccine doses and religious exemptions.

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