As vaccine exemptions continue to increase across Pennsylvania and public health officials warn about the risk of diseases spreading, the administration of the Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro launched a new online tool that allows parents to view vaccination and exemption rates for individual schools. State officials say the tool is designed to increase transparency by giving families access to school-level vaccination data for the first time.1
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s website states:
At a time when misinformation and conspiracy theories are sowing distrust in longstanding medical guidance, and reversing decades of science-backed progress, it’s more important than ever that DOH provide Pennsylvanians with as much accurate information as possible. The new tool makes it easier for parents and community members to view annual vaccination rates at individual schools—not just at the state or county-level like before—boosting transparency and giving families a clearer picture of how well protected their children’s classrooms are.2
The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH), in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), introduced the interactive database using 2025–26 school vaccination data. Parents can search individual schools to view vaccination rates for kindergarten, seventh-grade, and twelfth-grade students, along with reported medical, religious, and philosophical exemptions. Previously, the state only released vaccination data at the county and statewide levels.3
Pennsylvania government officials said that announcement comes as Pennsylvania has seen increasing vaccine exemptions and heightened concern over diseases such as measles and that parents have sought more detailed information about vaccination rates as exemption numbers have increased and measles cases have received greater national attention.4
Officials Emphasize Transparency But Do Not Explain How the Tool Will Increase Vaccination Rates
State officials said the new database is intended to give parents access to school-level vaccination information and help families make informed health and education decisions. Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen said the tool provides parents and local leaders with information that can help reduce the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases. She stated:
Knowledge is power, and Pennsylvania parents deserve clear, accessible data about the health of their children’s schools. This new tool cuts through the noise, putting critical information directly into the hands of families and local leaders so they can work together to reduce the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough.5
Although officials described the tool as a way to improve transparency and provide families with information, the administration did not explain how publicly displaying school vaccination and exemption rates is expected to increase vaccination rates or reduce exemptions. The announcement focused on making data available to parents rather than outlining specific steps the tool would take to change vaccination decisions. The release of the database also raises concerns about coercion, informed consent in medical decisions, privacy protections, how parents may use the information, and the broader implications that public access to school vaccination data could have for families, schools, and communities.6
Increasing Vaccine Exemption Rates in Pennsylvania Schools
State data shows that rising vaccine exemptions are contributing to differences in MMR vaccination rates among Pennsylvania schools. In Allegheny County, about one-third of kindergarten students attended schools where MMR vaccination rates were below the goal of a 95 percent MMR vaccination rate during the 2025–26 school year. Statewide, similar trends appeared with about one-third of kindergarten students attending schools below the recommended MMR vaccination rate.7
The data also shows that vaccination rates generally increase among older students. About three out of four seventh graders and more than 83 percent of twelfth graders attended schools that met or exceeded the MMR vaccination rate threshold.8
Some schools reported significantly lower vaccination rates because of higher numbers of religious, philosophical, or medical exemptions. However, it is reported that the data is difficult to interpret. Smaller schools may show larger percentage changes from only a few students, and categories such as provisional enrollment and “noncompliant and attending” students, (students attending school without meeting vaccination requirements) create challenges when comparing vaccination levels.9
Some individual schools reported significantly lower vaccination rates because of higher exemption levels. Harvest Baptist Academy in Natrona Heights had the lowest MMR vaccination compliance rate among kindergarten students in Allegheny County, with 41.7 percent of students vaccinated. According to the data, about half of the school’s kindergarten students received religious exemptions. However, the school had fewer than 30 kindergarten students enrolled, meaning that a small number of students could significantly affect the overall percentage.10
Religious exemptions were more common among some religious schools, but public schools also reported notable exemption rates. Edgewood STEAM Academy in the Woodland Hills School District reported that 22 percent of kindergarten students received philosophical or moral exemptions during the 2025–26 school year.11
Larger schools also showed gaps in vaccination compliance. Penn Hills Elementary reported that fewer than 68 percent of kindergarten students had completed their MMR vaccinations, while about 69 percent had received the polio vaccine. The school reported that approximately 42 percent of students were classified as “noncompliant and attending,” meaning they had not met state vaccination documentation requirements but were still attending school.12
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Click here to view References:1 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Shapiro Administration Launches New Tool Making School-Level Vaccination Rates Available to Parents, Boosting Public Health Transparency. Aug. 3, 2026.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Koscinski K. Amid soaring measles cases, Pa. parents can now track vaccine rates at their child’s school. 90.5 WESA Aug. 5, 2026.
5 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Shapiro Administration Launches New Tool Making School-Level Vaccination Rates Available to Parents, Boosting Public Health Transparency. Aug. 3, 2026.
6 Ibid.
7 Koscinski K. Amid soaring measles cases, Pa. parents can now track vaccine rates at their child’s school. 90.5 WESA Aug. 5, 2026.
8 Ibid.
9 Ibid.
10 Ibid.
11 Ibid.
12 Ibid.
