School-Age Children & Teens

Following the recommended vaccine schedule provides your child with the best protection from potentially serious diseases.

Recommended vaccine schedule for school-age children & teens

As your child gets older, they are at risk for new and different diseases that can be prevented with vaccines. Also, protection from some vaccines that they received at a younger age can wear off, so booster doses are needed to provide continued protection.

The schedule below outlines the vaccines recommended for school-age children and teens. School-age children and teens are offered vaccines at school clinics.

Vaccine	Grade 6	Grade 9
Hepatitis B	2 doses (if 3 doses not received in infancy) 2^nd dose 6 months after 1^st dose
HPV¹ (human papillomavirus)	2 doses 2^nd dose 6 months after 1^st dose
Varicella² (chickenpox)	1 or 2 doses² 2^nd dose at least 3 months after 1^st dose
Meningococcal Quadrivalent Conjugate		1 dose
Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis)		1 dose

¹The HPV vaccine has been offered to boys in grade 6 since September 2017.

² Children who had chickenpox or shingles disease, confirmed by a lab test, at 1 year of age or older do not need the chickenpox vaccine. Children who received a single dose of chickenpox vaccine at a younger age only need 1 dose in grade 6. Children who have never received the chickenpox vaccine need 2 doses.

View, download, and print the routine vaccine schedule for school-age children.

COVID-19 vaccines for children and teens.

COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older to help protect against severe COVID-19. Find information on COVID-19 vaccines.

Does my child need any other vaccines?

Yearly influenza (flu) vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older. Appointments can be booked through the Get Vaccinated system.

Children with chronic health conditions may need additional vaccines or additional doses of vaccine. Talk to your healthcare provider about what additional vaccines your child may need.

In addition to routine vaccines, your child may benefit from getting other vaccines that you can purchase. These vaccines can give your child extra protection against certain diseases. Talk to your healthcare provider to find out if your child has all the protection they need.

If you’re travelling, your child may need travel vaccines to protect them against diseases that are rare in Canada, but common in other parts of the world. Find information on travel vaccines.

Related pages

Date last reviewed:

Tuesday, Oct 11, 2022