In Hawaii, a significant rise in the number of students not up to date with their immunizations has been reported by the Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH). For the 2023-24 school year, 39,583 students, or 21% from public, charter, and private schools, were not current on required vaccinations. This marks a 25% increase compared to the previous year.
The data indicates that most of this increase stems from seventh-grade requirements introduced in 2020 during COVID. Specifically, while 16% of kindergarteners were not up to date with vaccinations, this figure rose to 55% among seventh graders.
Among the 382 schools reporting for the academic year, 282 schools (74%) indicated that more than 5% of their student populations were not compliant with Hawaii’s immunization requirements. Notably, 36 schools reported over half of their students were not up to date.
The Hawaii Department of Education (DOE) revealed that for public schools alone, 36,026 students missed one or more required immunizations in the same period. Preliminary figures for the following school year suggest a slight improvement with 28,300 students missing vaccinations.
Dr. Kenneth Fink, DOH director stated: “An increase in the number of students without up-to-date immunizations is a cause for concern.” He emphasized that high vaccination rates are crucial for protecting those who cannot receive vaccines due to medical reasons through herd immunity. "Low vaccination rates mean unvaccinated keiki are at increased risk of infection," he added.
Hawaii offers two types of vaccination exemptions: medical and religious. The religious exemption rate was recorded at 4.1% statewide for the recent school year—a noticeable rise from previous years when it was at 2.1%. Medical exemptions have also seen an increase but remain low overall.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed similar trends regarding religious exemptions through separate analysis. Nationwide vaccine hesitancy has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic due to misinformation and challenges in accessing healthcare services.
Efforts by DOH include collaboration with educational partners and healthcare providers to address these issues by educating families about vaccination benefits and improving access through pharmacies and physician practices. The department is also working on modernizing data collection via the Hawaii Immunization Registry.
For detailed immunization data by school, further information is available online.