Annual survey shows over 97 percent of children attending Maine's public and private schools have received required vaccines
AUGUSTA-- The Maine Department of Health and Human Services' Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) announced today that more than 97 percent of school-age children have received all required vaccines, the second consecutive year that Maine has exceeded the "herd immunity" threshold since reporting began in 2011.
The newly published Maine Annual School Assessment Survey for the 2024-2025 school year includes vaccination and exemption rates for children in kindergarten and grades 7 and 12. The most recent data, collected from schools during the annual survey conducted in December, show continued improvements in vaccination coverage among Maine students.
Vaccination is the best means of protecting individuals and our communities against highly infectious, vaccine preventable diseases. "Herd immunity," also known as "population immunity" or "community immunity," is when most of a population develops immunity from infectious disease either through vaccination or previous infection. Achieving herd immunity with safe and effective vaccines makes diseases rarer and saves lives.
"Today's report shows that Maine's vaccination requirements for school entry help ensure children across all communities remain up to date on their required vaccinations," said Dr. Puthiery Va, Director of the Maine CDC. "This achievement was possible because of the collective effort of our schools, families, and communities, and we celebrate that. Maine's childhood vaccination rates are among the best in the nation, and the Maine CDC is proud to aid in building community-level protection."
The newly published immunization and exemption rates are available in an aggregate report (PDF) and by individual school (PDF). Maine law requires any preK-12 student enrolled in a designated public or private elementary, secondary, or special education facility for children of school age to show proof of immunization with the following vaccines or documented immunity: diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DTaP), polio, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), varicella (VAR), and meningococcal meningitis (MenACWY). Maine has now reached 97 percent vaccination or higher for all of these illnesses among school children included in the survey.
Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, the Maine CDC and the Maine Department of Education will launch Docket for Schools, a technological application that builds on the August 2024-launch of the Docket app for Maine parents, families, and caregivers, that simplifies access to student immunization records and streamlines compliance reviews. Docket for Schools will be implemented in schools statewide and serves as a tool for school nurses to standardize immunization reporting and tracking. This initiative will also support year-round compliance oversight for both the Maine Department of Education and the Maine CDC's Maine Immunization Program.