Washington leads the nation in the percentage of kindergarten-age children who are allowed to skip one or more immunizations at the request of their parents. And Snohomish County’s exemption rate is a little higher than the state rate. A new state law recently took effect with the aim of reducing these so-called exemptions by requiring consultations with doctors. Here are local, state and national data for recent years.
Snohomish and Island county school districts: In Snohomish County, exemption rates for K-12 students among schools that reported to the state Department of Health for the 2010-11 school year varied from 4.68 percent in the Mukilteo School District to 31.43 percent in the Index School District, which is a small district with students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Not all schools reported vaccination rates for that school year.
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The 10 local schools with the most exemptions:
| District Name | School Name | K-12 Enrolled | K-12 Exempt | % Exempt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Whidbey | Whidbey Island Waldorf School | 92 | 48 | 52.17% |
| Arlington | Stillaguamish School | 369 | 166 | 44.99% |
| Monroe | Sky Valley Education Center | 888 | 382 | 43.02% |
| South Whidbey | Whidbey Island Academy Shared | 60 | 25 | 41.67% |
| Oak Harbor | Home Connection | 246 | 90 | 36.59% |
| Arlington | Academy NW/Family Academy | 199 | 67 | 33.67% |
| Index | Index Elementary | 35 | 11 | 31.43% |
| Coupeville | Coupeville Middle School | 246 | 71 | 28.86% |
| Edmonds | Edmonds Homeschool Res Center | 521 | 133 | 25.53% |
| Marysville | Grace Academy | 304 | 75 | 24.67% |
Stricter rule now in force: In the past, parents were able to have their children opt out for medical, philosophical or religious reasons. However, a new state law that went into effect July 22 requires parents seeking exemptions to consult with a medical provider about the benefits and risks of vaccinations and to have a signed letter from the physician to provide to child care centers or schools.
Washington exemption rates by county
In Washington, the statewide exemption rate for children from kindergarten through high school has more than doubled, growing from 2.6 percent in the 1997-98 school year to 5.9 percent in the 2010-11 school year.
Click on the graphic below to see exemption rates for each county in 2009-10, the most recent data available. Click here if you have trouble viewing the graphic.
*Data not available for Garfield County.
Exemption rates by state
Some 6.2 percent of Washington kindergartners did not provide immunization documentation for diseases such as polio, diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps and whooping cough during the 2009-10 school year, the most recent nationwide data available. That’s the highest of any state reporting that year.
Click on the graphic below to see exemption rates for each state. Click here if you have trouble viewing the graphic.
*Data not available for all states.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Washington state Department of Health
We’ll have more about vaccination rates and what the numbers mean Sunday in The Herald and at HeraldNet.com.
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