The New Glarus School District continues to report a personal-conviction vaccine waiver rate higher than the Wisconsin average and every nearby district included in this comparison, according to 2025–26 Wisconsin Department of Health Services school immunization data. The local rate is 9%, compared with 6.5% statewide.
Among nearby districts, Mount Horeb is closest at 7%. Monroe is at 4%, Verona and the Pecatonica Area School District, which includes Blanchardville, are at 3%, and Belleville and Monticello are at 2%.
The New Glarus rate is not the result of a recent spike. It was 8% in 2018–19, 7% in 2019–20, 9% in 2020–21, 6% in 2021–22 and 9% in each of the past four school years. Wisconsin, by comparison, rose from 4.6% in 2018–19 to 6.5% in 2025–26, narrowing the gap with New Glarus even as the local rate remained essentially flat.
The districtwide number also masks a sharp difference among New Glarus schools. DHS data put the personal-conviction waiver rate at 15% at New Glarus Middle School, 9% at New Glarus Elementary School and 6% at New Glarus High School. The state data do not explain why the middle school rate is higher.
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