Cherry Hill families heading into the 2026-27 school year face a growing vaccination gap. New Jersey's overall school immunization compliance rate fell to 91.3% for the 2024-25 school year, an eight-year low, according to state data cited by epidemiologist Stephanie Silvera on NJ Spotlight News on Thursday, Sept. 10.
That rate dropped from 92.4% the year before and 93.3% in 2022-23, according to NJ.com reporting citing state data. Scientists say at least 95% is needed for herd immunity against measles.
New Jersey is below that threshold statewide.
The national picture is alarming. About 400 measles cases were diagnosed across the country in one week alone, Silvera, chair of the Department of Public Health at Montclair State University, told NJ Spotlight News. The CDC has confirmed 3,134 cases in 2026, up from 2,289 last year and the most since 1991, Politico reported.
The threat is close to home. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported two measles-associated infant deaths in Lancaster County in late August, the first in that state in about 35 years, according to CBS Philadelphia. The Lancaster County coroner confirmed one death but disputed the cause of the second, Politico reported. Neither child was old enough to receive the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is typically given at age 1. Pennsylvania had 393 confirmed cases across 29 counties as of late August.
Cherry Hill's vaccine rules
Cherry Hill Public Schools requires two doses of the MMR vaccine for all students, consistent with New Jersey's K-12 immunization rules. New Jersey law allows parents to claim a religious exemption with a signed written request. No documentation of membership in a religious organization is required.
That exemption pathway has widened. Statewide, the share of students skipping vaccines for religious reasons more than doubled from 2.4% in 2017-18 to 5% in 2024-25, according to NJ.com reporting in August. During the 2024-25 school year, 24,962 children claimed religious exemptions, a nearly 25% jump from the prior year.
Eight New Jersey counties reported non-medical exemption rates above 5% in public schools during 2024-25. One county exceeded 10%.
State holds firm on vaccine schedule
New Jersey Health Commissioner Dr. Raynard Washington said in an Aug. 18 statement that the state would not adjust its childhood vaccine requirements after President Donald Trump signed an Aug. 10 executive order advocating for separating the MMR vaccine into three separate shots. Washington called the order a departure from decades of evidence that was likely to increase the risk of preventable illness and death among children, according to NJ.com.
MMR vaccine effectiveness
Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide 97% protection against measles, according to Reuters.
"Ninety-six percent of measles cases reported are among people who are unvaccinated, so very, very few vaccinated children will get measles," Silvera told NJ Spotlight News.
Cherry Hill-specific and Camden County vaccination compliance rates were not available in public reporting as of Sept. 11. Parents can check their child's immunization status through the district's school nurse office or the New Jersey Immunization Information System.
