The Immunization Partnership Launches E. Texas Back-to-School Vaccination Campaign Billboards and digital ads will reach families in six counties as Texas school vaccine exemptions rise 26%
LUFKIN, Texas (July 28, 2026) — The Immunization Partnership (TIP) has launched a 10-week back-to-school campaign across East Texas encouraging parents to schedule their children’s annual well visits, review vaccine records and talk with a trusted pediatrician about vaccine questions or concerns.
The Ask. Learn. Protect. campaign targets families across Angelina, Orange, Panola, Jasper, Tyler and Sabine counties. Seven outdoor boards are located across five counties, while advertising on Facebook, Reddit and other digital channels extends the campaign throughout all six. One school outdoor board shows students walking toward school with the message, “Back to School Starts with Vaccination.” Families can learn more at ImmunizeUSA.org/ask-learn protect.
The six counties were selected because of their higher vaccine exemption rates and contiguous geography. Vaccine-preventable diseases do not recognize county lines or ZIP codes and can spread quickly between neighboring communities. All six East Texas counties reported notable increases in nonmedical vaccine exemption rates from 2024-25 to 2025-26. (See the county data table at the end of the release.)
The TIP back-to-school effort follows a recent digital campaign in the same counties encouraging parents to schedule well visits and consult their children’s pediatricians before summer activities. New messages such as “One more thing before the first bell” encourage parents to add a well visit to their back-to-school checklist.
“Parents deserve clear, trusted information as they make decisions for their families. A well visit creates space to ask questions, learn the facts and work with a pediatrician who knows their child’s health history,” said Rekha Lakshmanan, executive director of The Immunization Partnership. “Our goal is to make that conversation part of every family’s back-to-school routine.”
The campaign also includes community outreach. TIP participated in the Healthy Texan Week event June 4 at the Angelina County & Cities Health District in Lufkin and will participate in the Splish Splash Breastfeeding Bash on Aug. 14 in Henderson and Aug. 25 in Carthage.
The campaign launches as recently released Texas school vaccination data show that nonmedical exemptions increased from 132,904 students in the 2024-25 school year to 155,710 in 2025-26. That represents a 26% increase in one year, even as statewide enrollment declined from approximately 5.68 million to 5.29 million students. Most kindergarten vaccination rates also remain below the 95% level public health experts associate with community protection against highly contagious diseases such as measles.
The data follow the 2025 West Texas measles outbreak, which resulted in 762 confirmed cases, 99 hospitalizations and the deaths of two unvaccinated school-aged children. The United States has recorded more than 2,300 measles cases in 2026, reaching its highest level in more than three decades.
About The Immunization Partnership
The Immunization Partnership is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting Texas children and families from vaccine-preventable diseases through education, advocacy and public awareness. Learn more at ImmunizeUSA.org.
East Texas K-12 Nonmedical Vaccine Exemption Rates
County 2024-25 rate 2025-26 rate Change
Angelina 2.50% 3.80% 52% increase
Jasper 4.93% 5.96% 21% increase
Tyler 3.08% 4.52% 47% increase
Sabine 5.11% 6.79% 33% increase
Orange 5.05% 6.70% 33% increase
Panola 4.34% 5.42% 25% increase
