Harrisburg, PA – For the first time ever, the Commonwealth is making school-level vaccination data available online through a new interactive tool created by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).
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.
Powered by data from the 2025-2026 school year, the tool delivers on Governor Josh Shapiro’s Executive Order 2025-02, which safeguards Pennsylvanians’ access to vaccines and ensures families have the facts they need to make informed health care decisions and complements the Commonwealth’s central vaccine resource at pa.gov/vaccines.
“Knowledge is power, and Pennsylvania parents deserve clear, accessible data about the health of their children’s schools,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. “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.”
“We want families to have all the facts to make personal health and educational decisions. These efforts underscore the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to boosting public access to information and ensuring transparency in our work to protect students and communities,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe. “At the same time, we want to work with school leaders to make the reporting process as smooth as possible.”
Empowering Communities Through Data
The 2025-26 data show that most Pennsylvania parents continue to vaccinate their children. With data from more than 90% of Pennsylvania schools, the online tool shows that:
- More than half of reporting schools have a measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination rate for kindergarten students at or above the 95% threshold that public health experts consider necessary to maintain community immunity;
- More than 200 schools achieved a 100% MMR vaccination rate for kindergarten students;
- At the seventh-grade level, more than 74% of reporting schools have an MMR rate at or above the 95% threshold, with more than 26% of schools reaching 100%; and
- At the twelfth-grade level, more than 83% of reporting schools have an MMR rate at or above the 95% threshold, with more than 22% of schools reaching 100%.
Additional enhancements to the interactive school vaccination tool will be added later this year, including the ability to search by school district, followed by further upgrades when the 2026-27 data is published next year. Pennsylvanians can also view reported vaccination exemption rates for individual schools.
Improving Reporting and Expanding Access
Pennsylvania immunization regulations (28 Pa. Code § 23.86) and DOH guidelines require all schools to report immunization data for kindergarten, seventh, and twelfth grades to DOH by December 31 each year.
With more than 90% of schools currently submitting data, DOH and PDE are actively partnering to support the remaining schools with the reporting process.
In the coming months, DOH and PDE will work directly with non-reporting schools to achieve higher rates of reporting while collaborating with local health care providers to expand access to routine immunizations across the Commonwealth.
Next Steps for Parents
Parents and community members can explore the interactive school vaccination data tool and learn more about routine childhood vaccines by visiting DOH’s official website.
Parents seeking assistance with vaccine access or scheduling can contact their health care provider, county or municipal health department, or DOH State Health Center. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and Vaccines for Children (VFC) programs are available also across the state.
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