Students in Josephine County have the lowest school vaccination rates in Oregon, according to new data from the Oregon Health Authority.
Only 80% of the county's K-12 students were up to date on all required vaccinations during the 2025-26 school year, compared with a statewide average of 90%.
Josephine County also had the state's highest rate of nonmedical exemptions from at least one required school vaccination. Nearly 20% of students had an exemption, compared with a statewide rate of 8.6%.
“It's not just people who may not trust in the vaccine," said Dr. Howard Chiou, medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at the Oregon Health Authority. "We also know that there's a good number of people who often face challenges accessing vaccines."
Jackson County also posted relatively low vaccination rates. About 85.5% of students were up to date on required vaccinations, while 13.6% had a nonmedical exemption.
State health officials said student vaccination rates in Oregon are on a decade-long decline.
“The overall trend is worrisome and moving in the wrong direction this year,” said Chiou. “The situation here in Oregon really has changed.”
Chiou said one in three Oregon schools has a vaccination rate below the 93% threshold needed for herd immunity, putting those schools at risk of a measles outbreak.
Parents can review vaccination rates for individual schools on OHA’s website.
“There's a lot of variation in vaccination rates across schools,” he said. “What I really want to do is make sure that we are all empowering families to make really informed decisions for themselves and their families.”
Some charter and religious schools in Josephine County reported particularly low vaccination rates. At Woodland Charter School in Grants Pass, for example, 39% of students were up to date on all required vaccinations, while 48% had nonmedical exemptions.
The state's nonmedical exemption rate for kindergarten students has climbed to nearly 11%, up from about 7% during the 2021-22 school year. Chiou said kindergarten vaccination rates can help predict future trends among school-age children.
