WEST CHESTER, PA — Five elementary schools in the West Chester Area School District reported kindergarten measles vaccination rates below the 95% benchmark associated with community protection, raising concerns about potential school disruptions as measles spreads through Chester County, according to an investigation by Maddie Hanna and Sarah Gantz of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The newspaper’s report identified gaps in vaccination coverage, incomplete immunization records, and uncertainty surrounding school preparedness, even as local health officials warn that measles exposures could force students and employees to remain home for 21 days.
At Penn Wood Elementary, just 87.5% of kindergartners were vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella during the 2025-26 school year, according to state data examined by The Inquirer.
Of the school’s 64 kindergartners, 56 were vaccinated, five had philosophical exemptions, and four were classified as attending without compliant immunization records.
Westtown-Thornbury Elementary also recorded a substantial decline, falling from 100% vaccination coverage two years earlier to below 92% last school year. The newspaper reported that seven kindergartners had religious exemptions.
Glen Acres and East Goshen elementary schools also experienced year-over-year declines in kindergarten MMR vaccination rates.
The findings expose a potential weakness in relying on districtwide immunization averages to assess outbreak risks. Individual schools or grade levels can have substantially lower vaccination coverage than the broader student population.
West Chester Superintendent David Christopher disputed whether the published state figures accurately reflect current conditions.
In an interview with The Inquirer, Christopher explained that school nurses subsequently contacted families to obtain missing immunization documentation and that some additional students had received vaccinations.
He maintained that every district campus now exceeds 95% vaccination coverage when students across all grade levels are included.
“We’re really talking about a pretty small percentage of students in the district,” Christopher said.
The district has not publicly released updated school-by-school vaccination figures showing whether the kindergarten populations identified in the state data have reached the 95% threshold.
The distinction matters because measles is highly contagious, and concentrations of susceptible students can create transmission risks even in schools with relatively high overall vaccination coverage.
René Najera, director of public health at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, cautioned in The Inquirer’s reporting that vaccination rates above 95% do not eliminate the possibility of transmission during an outbreak.
“You could have a population with 96% vaccinated, and still have a roaring infection go through,” Najera said.
The newspaper’s findings come after Oxford Area High School closed for one day on October 9 following a reported measles case. The closure allowed administrators to verify employee vaccination records.
The incident illustrated the operational consequences schools could face when immunization documentation is incomplete.
According to Chester County health officials, students and employees exposed to measles who cannot demonstrate immunity may be excluded from school for 21 days.
Such exclusions could affect classroom staffing, student attendance, and school operations.
West Chester has established a secure online portal for employees to submit vaccination records, but Christopher could not provide the newspaper with a count of employees who had submitted documentation.
“The hard part is just finding those records,” Christopher acknowledged.
The investigation also found limited public discussion of outbreak preparedness among Chester County school districts.
Of the county’s 12 public school districts contacted by The Inquirer, only West Chester agreed to an interview.
Downingtown Area School District spokesperson Jenn Shealy confirmed to the newspaper that administrators had communicated with employees about potential quarantines and that nurses had contacted families whose student vaccination records were incomplete.
Kennett Consolidated School District spokesperson Lisa Palmarini reported that the district had reminded families and employees that measles immunization provides protection.
The findings also highlight the challenges school administrators face when communicating about vaccination policies.
Christopher explained that West Chester officials sought to educate families without pressuring those who had chosen legally permitted exemptions.
“We understand that there are a variety of reasons that families may make this decision, and it is not our intention to pressure families, but to make sure they are informed,” he wrote in an email to The Inquirer.
Pennsylvania permits medical, religious and philosophical exemptions from school immunization requirements.
State health officials began publishing school-level vaccination data this summer, providing families with more detailed information about immunization coverage at individual campuses.
The Inquirer’s reporting indicates that those figures may be particularly important as Chester County schools confront the possibility of additional exposures, temporary exclusions, and staffing shortages.
The central concern extends beyond vaccination percentages: Schools must also be able to identify which students and employees can demonstrate immunity quickly enough to respond to a confirmed exposure.
For the complete investigation by Maddie Hanna and Sarah Gantz, including additional school-level findings and interviews with parents, educators, and public health experts, read The Philadelphia Inquirer’s original report at https://www.inquirer.com/education/measles-outbreak-chester-county-schools-preparation-vaccination-rates-20261019.html.
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