![\"Rachael](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/0fc62f76-9c32-48f8-a76c-82791a1f8782_1747319648.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nPennsylvania launches new tool to track school vaccination rates<\/p>\n
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Families across Pennsylvania can now review vaccination rates for individual schools through a new online tool<\/a> launched by Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration. <\/p>\n Developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the interactive dashboard provides vaccination data for students in kindergarten, seventh grade and 12th grade. Previously, the Commonwealth reported vaccination rates primarily at the state and county levels.<\/p>\n State officials said the school-level data will improve public health transparency and help families assess how well students are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases. <\/p>\n “Knowledge is power, and Pennsylvania parents deserve clear, accessible data about the health of their children\u2019s schools,” Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Debra Bogen said. “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.” <\/p>\n Data shows most students are vaccinated <\/p>\n The dashboard<\/a> includes data submitted by more than 90% of Pennsylvania schools for the 2025\u20132026 academic year.<\/p>\n More than half of reporting schools indicated that at least 95% of their kindergarten students had received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, according to the Department of Health. Public health experts consider 95% vaccination coverage an important benchmark for maintaining community protection against measles. <\/p>\n The data shows more than 200 schools reported a 100% MMR vaccination rate among kindergarten students. <\/p>\n Vaccination rates were higher among older students. More than 74% of reporting schools had rates of at least 95% among seventh-grade students, while more than 26% reported full vaccination at that grade level, according to the data.<\/p>\n Among 12th-grade students, more than 83% of reporting schools met or exceeded the 95% benchmark. More than 22% reported that all students in that grade had received the MMR vaccine. <\/p>\n The dashboard also allows users to review reported vaccination-exemption rates for individual schools. <\/p>\n PA School Immunization Rates dashboard<\/p>\n Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Carrie Rowe said access to school-level information will help parents make health and education decisions.<\/p>\n “We want families to have all the facts to make personal health and educational decisions,” Rowe said. “These efforts underscore the Shapiro administration\u2019s commitment to boosting public access to information and ensuring transparency in our work to protect students and communities.” <\/p>\n Rowe added that state agencies are working with school leaders to simplify the reporting process.<\/p>\n The initiative supports Shapiro\u2019s Executive Order 2025-02, which directs state agencies to protect access to vaccines and provide residents with information needed to make health care decisions. <\/p>\n Officials seek to increase school reporting <\/p>\n Under Pennsylvania immunization regulations<\/a>, schools must submit vaccination data for kindergarten, seventh-grade and 12th-grade students to the Department of Health by Dec. 31 each year.<\/p>\n Although more than 90% of schools have submitted data, health and education officials said they will contact nonreporting schools in an effort to improve participation. The agencies also plan to work with local health care providers to expand access to routine immunizations.<\/p>\n Additional dashboard features are expected later this year, including the ability to search by school district. Further updates are planned when data for the 2026\u20132027 school year become available. <\/p>\n Vaccine resources <\/p>\n Parents and community members can explore the school-level dashboard<\/a> and find information about routine childhood vaccines through the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Families who need help accessing or scheduling vaccinations may contact their health care providers, county or municipal health departments<\/a>, or Department of Health state health centers<\/a>. Vaccines are also available through federally qualified health centers<\/a> and the federal Vaccines for Children program<\/a>. <\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/280a89f7-cd6d-44ca-937c-a61ceed3d4ef.png\")
<\/p>\nHelping families make informed decisions<\/p>\n