Local Kindergarten Classes Have Downward Rates of Measles, Mumps and Rubella Vaccination

While vaccination rates are going down among kindergarten students across many parts of the United States, this is the case in Nevada as well.

According to recently released figures from the Silver State for the 2024-25 school year, only 91% of kindergarteners were reported to have completed the measles, mumps, and rubella MMR vaccine series, compared to over 96% in 2020-21.

According to the latest reported numbers, some local schools have reported even lower than these average MMR vaccination rates, such as Nancy Gomes Elementary with an 82.1% MMR vaccination rate, High Desert Montessori with 87.3%, Lois Allen 89.2%, Bailey Charter 89.7%, Jesse Hall 90% and Libby Booth 90.9%.

Further south Zephyr Cove has one of the worst rates in the state at 77.3% while C.C. Meneley has just 78% coverage. 

The CDC’s so called nationwide Healthy People 2030 target has been to have 95% coverage.  

“Schools with lower immunization rates are more vulnerable to the spread of diseases such as measles and whooping cough. By increasing the immunization rates in our schools, we are protecting students from preventable diseases and ensuring a healthy economic future for our community,” a statement on the Washoe County website indicates.  

In the exemption category it’s indicated that “students and children with appropriate medical conditions may receive temporary or permanent medical exemptions if authorized by their physicians… Students and/or parents who want to exempt their child/student from one or more required immunizations because of their religious beliefs must provide to the school, child care facility, or university a religious immunization exemption form provided by the Division of Public and Behavioral Health.

To protect themselves and others from spreading disease, children with any of these exemptions can be excluded from school during an outbreak of a disease against which they are not fully immunized. In addition to the vaccines for which an exemption is being requested, parents must submit official immunization records to the school or daycare for the vaccines that the child did receive. This will help schools know which students have and haven’t been immunized when a vaccine-preventable disease may be spreading at school.”

Northern Nevada Public Health recently reported the first measles case in Washoe County since 2018, with an unvaccinated adult male who was hospitalized after testing positive for measles on December 26, 2025.  

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