The rate of Michigan parents declining to get their children fully vaccinated for school, as recommended by health experts, has doubled in the last decade.

For the 2024-25 school year, nearly 6.2% of Michigan’s more than 351,000 kindergarten, seventh grade and new entrant students had a waiver to avoid getting the recommended shots, according to new data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).

The 2024 waiver rate has doubled from the 2015 rate of 3.1% and marks the highest rate since 2013. There’s been an upward trend since 2023, with the latest data surpassing the 2023 rate of 5.7%.

About 90% of students were fully vaccinated entering the 2024 school year, which was down from 94% in 2017. The remaining students either got a waiver or were in a dose waiting p

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