Public health officials are reminding parents to ensure their children are up to date on required immunizations before they return to classes next month. The messaging comes as vaccination rates on the Kitsap Peninsula and across the state have dipped since the pandemic.

Vaccination rates among students at Kitsap County schools hit a five-year low last year, according to data from the Washington State Department of Health. During the last school year, 90.9% of K-12 students in Kitsap were up to date on their required vaccinations. That is the lowest total in the last nine years and down from a high of 93.7% in the 2020-21 school year.

Students in Pierce County have experienced similar declines. State data found 90.4% of students had completed all required vaccinations last school year, m

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