Schoolchildren wait in line for immunization shots at a child health station in New York City, N.Y., in 1944. (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress)

Schoolchildren wait in line for immunization shots at a child health station in New York City, N.Y., in 1944. (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress)

The Dallas Morning News’ latest interactive story on vaccines pinpoints how many students at North Texas public school campuses have opted out for reasons of conscience or religious belief. The story, spurred by the rise of opt-outs in recent years and a recent measles outbreak scare in Plano ISD, includes a number of helpful graphics and an easy search tool to find out your campus’ opt-out rate.

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We’re making it even easier with a ranking of East Dallas campuses in order of highest to lowest opt-out percentages. The highest in our neighborhood — and one of two in Dallas ISD that the DMN singled out as having a “cluster” of nonvaccinated children — was Eduardo Mata Montessori School, one of DISD’s new choice schools. The other was the district’s arts magnet high school, Booker T. Washington.

The story points out that, based on the data, schools’ and public health officials’ concern about mass outbreaks is low “at this point.” Schools have fairly high percentages of fully vaccinated children, and the “herd immunity,” explained and illustrated in the story, can help prevent outbreaks. However, a school like Mata would have more cause for concern because, in addition to the students who have opted out for reasons of religion or conscience, the campus has a number of 3-year-olds in its multi-grade Montessori classrooms who cannot be fully immunized until their 4-year-old boosters.

The district’s overall rate for vaccination opt-outs was low, 0.33 percent. By comparison, a few rates in our neighborhood were considerably higher. There could be a correlation to the demographics of East Dallas schools; the story references a study finding that “white, college-educated parents living in households with an annual income of more than $75,000 are more likely to choose not to vaccinate their children.”

How would your school fare in an outbreak?

Eduardo Mata Montessori: 5.65 percent opt-out rate (23 exemptions)

Hexter Elementary: 2.56 percent (14 exemptions)

Robert E. Lee Elementary: 2.48 percent (9 exemptions)

Stonewall Jackson Elementary: 2.45 percent (15 exemptions)

Lakewood Elementary: 2.37 percent (20 exemptions)

J.L. Long Middle School: 1.25 percent (16 exemptions)

Sanger Elementary and Preparatory: 1.21 percent (7 exemptions)

Dan D. Rogers Elementary: 1.21 percent (6 exemptions)

Woodrow Wilson High School: 0.87 percent (15 exemptions)

Lipscomb Elementary: 0.2 percent (1 exemption)

Mount Auburn Elementary: 0.14 percent (1 exemption)