As Measles Cases Rise, Marple-Newtown Schools Show Varying Vaccination Rates

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — As measles cases rise in the region, vaccination rates vary among student populations in the Marple Newtown School District, according to newly released data. (See the figures below.)

The Pennsylvania Health Department's new interactive table shows what percentage of students at different schools were vaccinated against measles, polio and other diseases entering last school year.

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Previously, school vaccination rates were only publicly accessible at the state and county levels. But health officials say the public deserves as much accurate information as possible in the face of mistrust in longstanding medical guidance, which has sparked a resurgence of diseases once considered eliminated.

"Knowledge is power, and Pennsylvania parents deserve clear, accessible data about the health of their children's schools," State Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen said in a statement. "This new tool cuts through the noise, putting critical information directly into the hands of families and local leaders so they can work together to reduce the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough."

Once declared eliminated in the United States, measles has resurged in recent years due to declining vaccination rates, according to health experts.

In Delaware County, no cases have been reported to date this year. But the outbreak has spread to the region, with Lancaster County (161 cases) and Chester County (37) showing the highest case totals in Pennsylvania.

When 95 percent of people in a community have received the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, most people are protected through herd immunity, according to the CDC.

State health officials shared vaccination data for kindergarteners, seventh-graders and high school seniors from last school year.

Here's what each listed vaccine means:

• DTaP: Diphtheria, Tetanus, acellular Pertussis (whooping cough) — given to babies and young children
• MMR: Measles, Mumps, Rubella
• Hep B: Hepatitis B
• Varicella: Chickenpox
• Tdap: Tetanus, Diphtheria, acellular Pertussis (whooping cough) — given to older children and adults
• MCV4: Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY or MenABCWY)

The reported vaccination rates for the Marple Newtown School District are listed below. All data was shared by the Pennsylvania Health Department.

Of Note

• All district schools exceeded the 95 percent benchmark for MMR vaccination except Culbertson Elementary, where 93.9 percent of kindergarteners were vaccinated against measles. But with 49 kindergarteners enrolled, that means only a few of them weren't vaccinated.
• Community members can still be infected when herd immunity is achieved, since none of the listed diseases have been eradicated. Vaccination is still the most effective way to prevent infection, according to health experts.
• Culbertson had the district's lowest immunization rates across the board, with 95.9 percent of kindergarteners vaccinated against Hepatitis B and 93.9 percent immunized in all other major kindergarten categories. (Varicella immunization also includes children who previously had chickenpox.)
• Loomis and Russell elementary schools registered 100 percent vaccination rates across the board.
• High school seniors registered higher vaccination rates than seventh graders across all categories in the district.
• Enrollment figures also include home-schooled students who would otherwise attend that public school. But state officials didn't share how many home-schooled students were counted in each school's data.

Resources

• Pennsylvania school immunization rates, 2025-2026
• General immunization guidance from the PA Health Department
• School immunization requirements
• Facilities that vaccinate eligible children at no cost
• Age-appropriate immunization schedules for children 6 and under, and ages 7 through 18, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics