In late August, Pennsylvania confirmed the deaths of two children in measles-associated cases, the first deaths linked to the disease in that state in 35 years. Texans know that scenario well. Last year, two children died during a measles outbreak in Texas that included hundreds of cases and dozens of hospitalizations.
Now, measles has reached Travis County again.
On Thursday, Sept. 10, Austin Public Health announced the county’s second measles case of 2026. The patient is an unvaccinated infant who was most likely exposed to the virus while traveling internationally, according to APH.
The new case comes as students across the Austin area return to classrooms, where vaccination coverage varies considerably from one community to the next. An analysis by the Chronicle found significant differences in MMR coverage – which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella – with several districts just west and southwest of the city having lower vaccination rates.
According to Texas Department of State Health Services data for the 2025-26 school year in Lago Vista ISD, northwest of Austin, about 84 out of every 100 kindergartners were vaccinated with MMR. In Pflugerville ISD, less than 40 miles away, nearly all kindergarten students were vaccinated.
For a disease that spreads so easily, that difference matters. Texas uses vaccination coverage of at least 95% as a benchmark for community protection. Rémy Pasco, a research associate at UT-Austin, said one person with measles can spread the virus to between 12 and 18 susceptible people.
Coverage Varies by School Community
In Central Texas, Department of State Health Services data show differences in vaccination coverage among school districts. Lake Travis and Dripping Springs ISDs, west and southwest of Austin, were just under 90%, while Eanes ISD, west of the city, was slightly closer to the recommended level.
To the east and north, coverage was higher in some districts. Del Valle ISD, southeast of Austin, reached the 95% benchmark, and just north of Austin at Round Rock ISD, coverage was also close to 95%.
APH found that 31 of the 63 schools or districts in Travis County had kindergarten MMR vaccination rates below the 95% benchmark, the department told the Chronicle.
Austin ISD as a whole had a kindergarten MMR vaccination rate of about 98%. But those numbers vary between campuses throughout the district.
At Hill Elementary in Northwest Austin, about two out of every three kindergartners had MMR vaccines. In contrast, Casey Elementary in South Austin and McBee and Reilly elementary schools in North and Central Austin, respectively, reported that all kindergartners included in the data were vaccinated.
However, Jose Serrano, director of health services and nursing at Austin ISD, said the differences among schools are not enough to establish a geographical pattern within the district.
“There are slight differences in rates between schools but all are so minor that attributing those changes to geographic patterns would be difficult to do,” he said.
Pasco said averages can also mask pockets of susceptible people within communities. “Someone who’s more likely to not get vaccinated is more likely to hang out with people who are also not likely to get vaccinated,” he explained.
Does Socioeconomic Status Play a Role?
Some of the districts with lower MMR coverage are also among the higher-income communities in the Austin area. Dripping Springs ISD is one example. The district’s median household income is about $158,000, according to American Community Survey estimates. Less than 90% of its kindergartners had MMR vaccinations and about 7% had a conscientious exemption.
Lake Travis showed a similar pattern. With a median household income of about $146,000, its MMR coverage also remained slightly below 90%, and 7% of kindergartners had an exemption.
Del Valle ISD offers a contrast. Its median household income is about $82,000, a little over half that of Dripping Springs. Just over 1% of kindergartners had a conscientious exemption, while MMR coverage reached 95.3%.
Pasco said previous research has found an association between higher socioeconomic status and vaccine refusal. “It has been more of a higher socioeconomic factor – kind of people who have been refusing to vaccinate their children in the past few years,” Pasco said.
Lower Coverage Increases the Risk
On a spreadsheet, the difference between a school close to 90% and another above 95% may seem small. But for measles, those higher percentage points go a long way.
“[Measles] is one of those infections that can silently spread because it’s a respiratory infection. It’s a virus that’s highly contagious,” said Arathi Shah, a local pediatrician.
The consequences for a school can begin even before a student gets sick. Under the DSHS’s rules, schools must exclude exposed, unimmunized students for at least 21 days after their last measles exposure, unless they receive the MMR vaccine within 72 hours of exposure.
Despite the fact that Travis County’s numbers are below 95%, that does not necessarily predict an outbreak could result. But the second measles case reported in Travis County this year brings the risk closer to the school communities where those vaccination gaps remain.
For Pasco, that is why it is important to look beyond averages and pay attention to what is happening within individual communities.
“You want to look at specific vaccination rates and you need to have that immunity threshold that’s reached everywhere,” Pasco said. “Otherwise, a single infection may cause an outbreak.”
This article appears in September 18 • 2026.