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Vaccination Rates in Texas Schools Have Been Dropping. Look up the Latest Vaccination Rates in Your District.
The rates of students exempt from required immunizations for conscientious or religious reasons increased statewide this past school year. Meanwhile, the percentage of students up to date on vaccinations — also known as coverage rates — varied by vaccine.
Kindergarten vaccination rates across the state and nation have dropped in recent years compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic as exemption rates have risen.
Each school year, Texas public school districts and private schools report to the state vaccination rates for each immunization required to attend kindergarten and 7th grade.
The state publishes spreadsheets with information from these reports. The Texas Tribune has made this publicly available data easily searchable. Find those coverage rates for the 2025-26 school year with the change from the previous year below.
Vaccination rates at specific campuses can differ from their school districts, particularly in districts with multiple elementary schools. Some districts provide campus-level vaccine information.
How Personal Waivers Impact Wisconsin’s Vaccination Numbers
Every state in the nation has a law on the books that mandates children be vaccinated to enter school. With a new school year around the corner and differing guidance from the federal and state governments, there’s a lot for parents to keep track of. What is Wisconsin’s vaccine mandate? And what do the numbers say about how many members of the public are vaccinated?
In place for decades, Wisconsin statutes establish an immunization program mandating that any student wanting to enter the public school system must have required vaccines. If a student doesn’t meet the requirements, parents or guardians may be fined up to $25 per day their child is noncompliant.
But no one in Wisconsin has been fined under that statute since at least 2018, which is as far back as court data tracks charges. However, children can instead get a waiver and be exempt from vaccination requirements if there is a medical or religious reason, or for reasons of personal conviction.
Will the Return of the Presidential Fitness Test Improve Kids’ Physical Activity Levels?
The Trump administration launched the return of the Presidential Physical Fitness Test this week with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. participating in fitness activities with a youth organization.
It comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order last year reestablishing the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. “We must address the threat to the vitality and longevity of our country that is posed by America’s declining health and physical fitness,” the executive order reads.
Some kinesiology experts told ABC News they support the administration’s efforts to promote fitness. They question, however, whether a fitness test alone will be enough to move the needle on physical activity and exercise.
Children: Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to Behavioral Disorders
Tech and Science News reported:
What children eat during their early years could influence their behavior and emotions several years later. Researchers observed a link between a diet rich in ultra-processed foods at age three and the emergence of behavioral difficulties at age five, such as anxiety, fear, aggression, or hyperactivity.
The study followed more than 2,000 Canadian children from birth to adolescence. At age three, parents detailed their children’s diet. Two years later, researchers assessed their behavior using a recognized questionnaire. Result: the more ultra-processed foods children consumed, the higher their scores for emotional and behavioral difficulties.
Each 10% increase in calories from ultra-processed foods was associated with higher scores for so-called “internalizing” behaviors (anxiety, fear) and “externalizing” behaviors (aggression, hyperactivity). These associations remained significant after adjusting for other factors such as family income or parental education.
Why Turning off Screens Is so Hard for Children — and Four Tips to Make It Easier
The challenges and consequences surrounding children’s screen use are a leading concern for UK families. One especially difficult challenge is the resistance, arguments and emotional battles — “techno-tantrums” — that can follow when parents ask children to end a screen-based activity or refuse children’s requests to start one. Most families with young children experience these at least occasionally and, for some, frequently.
It’s especially hard for children to move away from a screen because digital content is designed to be engaging. Content developers’ monetisation models usually require this to justify the expense to develop that content. At a minimum, this typically involves using bright colours and fast-paced content with quick and unpredictable transitions, as well as other cues to capture and hold attention. Algorithms ensure you mostly see what would be most interesting to you.
More contentiously, many examples of digital content for children include features that, in the most generous interpretation, persuade children to make choices they might not otherwise have made and may not be in their interests.
