Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Philadelphia School District is making a full-court press to get its vaccination rates up, amid a statewide measles outbreak and news that some city schools saw double-digit declines in kindergarten immunization rates in the 2025-26 school year.
To achieve herd immunity, 95% of a school population must be vaccinated. And even though Philadelphia’s vaccination rates remain relatively strong compared to other pockets of the state, about 40% of kindergarten classrooms across Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs became vulnerable to a measles outbreak last school year, up from a third of classrooms the year prior, according to an Inquirer analysis of state data.
To boost city immunization rates, the district is focusing on access — from a back-to-school bus tour this summer that came with a side of childhood vaccines, to the Benjamin Franklin event over two weeks, which is available through Friday.
Keep reading: inquirer.com/education/measles-prevention-vaccines-philadelphia-schools-20260827.html
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The Philadelphia School District is making a full-court press to get its vaccination rates up, amid a statewide measles outbreak and news that some city schools saw double-digit declines in kindergarten immunization rates in the 2025-26 school year.
To achieve herd immunity, 95% of a school population must be vaccinated. And even though Philadelphia’s vaccination rates remain relatively strong compared to other pockets of the state, about 40% of kindergarten classrooms across Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs became vulnerable to a measles outbreak last school year, up from a third of classrooms the year prior, according to an Inquirer analysis of state data.
To boost city immunization rates, the district is focusing on access — from a back-to-school bus tour this summer that came with a side of childhood vaccines, to the Benjamin Franklin event over two weeks, which is available through Friday.
Keep reading: inquirer.com/education/measles-prevention-vaccines-philadelphia-schools-20260827.html
If you value this work, please consider subscribing to the Philadelphia Inquirer ►► inquirer.com/youtube
More from Philadelphia Inquirer Video:
Watch all of our videos here: inquirer.com/video
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philadelphia...
Instagram: instagram.com/phillyinquirer
