Kindergarten vaccination rates in Tennessee continued to decline last school year, reaching a record low of 93.3% since state agencies began tracking and reporting immunization compliance, according to a statewide report.
Out of the state’s 13 public health regions, which comprise Tennessee’s largest metropolitan and seven rural regions, the Chattanooga/Hamilton Region had the lowest percentage of fully immunized students (90.4%) during the 2022-23 school year. The Sullivan Region in Northeast Tennessee had the highest percentage of fully immunized kindergartners last year, with 95.3% vaccine coverage.
Hamilton County saw some improvement in its kindergarten vaccination rates over last school year, when 89.7% were fully vaccinated, placing the county alongside five others where kindergarten vaccination rates had dipped below 90%.
The figures come from an annual report outlining coverage and exemption levels of the six vaccines required by law for children to attend kindergarten in Tennessee. Parents can object to immunizations if their child is unable to take them for medical reasons or if vaccines go against their religious beliefs.
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