Back to School Vaccine Best Practices: 2025 - 2026 School Year

As the new school year begins, it’s important to stay current in many areas - school supplies, extracurriculars, and most importantly, immunizations. Vaccines are essential to keeping children, families, and communities safe from preventable diseases.

Here are five updated tips on vaccine best practices for the 2025–2026 academic year:

1. Follow the latest guidelines from your pediatrician and the CDC.
Check in with your pediatrician to ensure your child is up to date on all recommended vaccines for their age. Vaccine requirements may vary by state, but pediatricians follow CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations. If your child doesn't yet have a pediatrician, Summus can help connect you.

2. Get the annual influenza vaccine.
The flu vaccine remains strongly recommended for all children aged 6 months and older, especially during the fall and winter months. Flu can lead to severe complications in children, even those who are otherwise healthy.

3. Stay current on COVID-19 vaccination and boosters.
Leading medical groups like the AAP recommend COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 6 months and older, including pregnant individuals, based on strong evidence that the vaccines are safe and effective at preventing severe illness and complications.

4. Be aware of age-specific immunizations.
Children need different vaccines at different developmental stages:

• Preschool (4–5 years): MMR, DTaP, IPV, Varicella
  Measles cases are rising in the U.S. and globally. This highly contagious virus can cause serious complications like pneumonia and brain inflammation. The MMR vaccine, recommended by the CDC and AAP, is safe and effective. Children should get one dose at 12 to 15 months and another at 4 to 6 years. Vaccination protects your child and helps prevent outbreaks. Check with your doctor to make sure your family is up to date.
• Middle school (11–12 years): Tdap, HPV, and meningococcal conjugate vaccines
  The AAP strongly encourages early HPV vaccination, ideally starting at age 9, for stronger protection against cancer-causing HPV strains.
• High school (16 years): Meningococcal booster and MenB (serogroup B meningococcal) vaccine

5. Need help? Summus is here for you.
Have questions about immunizations, vaccine safety, or local pediatric care? Summus can help connect you with a pediatric expert or assist in finding in-person care near you. You may reach out at any time via your Summus Dashboard.