More Than a Third of Oregon Schools Face Measles Outbreak Risk as Vaccine Exemptions Hit Record High

The Oregon Health Authority has indicated that vaccination rates for Oregon students have reached a new low, while nonmedical exemptions have reached a new high. More than a third of Oregon schools are now at risk of a measles outbreak.

Fewer Oregon Students Are Vaccinating

While most Oregon families choose to vaccinate their children, fewer are doing so than before, prompting state health officials to urge parents and guardians to check their school’s vaccination rate to help families understand the local risk of a disease outbreak, especially for children not up to date on the MMR vaccine for measles.

While most Oregon families choose to vaccinate their children, fewer are doing so than before, prompting state health officials to urge parents and guardians to check their school’s vaccination rate so families understand the local risk of a disease outbreak, especially for children not up to date on the MMR vaccine for measles.

The sharpest decline in vaccination rates is among Oregon kindergarteners, where only 85.6% are up to date on required shots. At the same time, nonmedical exemptions for this group skyrocketed to a record 10.9% for the 2025-2026 school year.

The second dose of the measles (MMR) vaccine saw the highest opt-out rate at 9.4%- nearly a 92% jump over the last decade.

Health officials warned that these gaps threaten community herd immunity. While 90.2% of K-12 students statewide are vaccinated, pockets of vulnerability remain in all 36 counties in Oregon. In fact, 36% of schools fall below the 93% vaccination threshold required to prevent a measles outbreak.

The measles outbreak risk isn’t hypothetical- lagging immunization rates have already contributed to pertussis (whooping cough) cases in Oregon, hitting a 75-year high of 1,475 cases in 2025.

To help families assess the local risk in their immediate community, parents and caregivers can view individual school vaccination rates on the OHA’s School Immunization Data dashboard.