Adolescent Health: 

What Works in Schools

Sexual Health Services

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent 

and School Health (DASH) has established an evidence-based approach 

schools can implement to help prevent HIV, STDs, and unintended pregnancy 

among adolescents. It includes quality health education, systems that 

connect students to health services, and safer and more supportive school 

environments. This info brief focuses on increasing access to sexual health 

services—preventive health care services that schools can connect students to 

either on site or in the community. 

What are sexual health services?

Sexual health services (SHS) cover broad preventive measures, 

like taking a sexual history or risk assessment; education; and 

counseling, testing, and treatment for human immunodeficiency 

virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). SHS can 

significantly improve an adolescent’s immediate and lifelong health 

by identifying health issues early and providing services. As young 

people grow and become sexually active, these services provide 

health information and tools to help them prevent HIV, STDs, and 

unintended pregnancy. SHS also ensure that health issues are 

caught early to enable effective treatment. Several national 

guidelines for preventive care*

 and treatment recommend providing 

SHS for adolescents. 

However, many students may not seek or have access to SHS. Even 

among those who do have access, missed opportunities for receiving 

SHS are common. Schools can play a critical role in raising awareness 

about the importance of SHS and connecting students to these 

preventive services.

Examples of SHS include: 

y HIV testing and treatment 

y STD testing and treatment

y Contraceptive services

y Health guidance and counseling.

*

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures Guidelines; Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine

Just 2% of schools

across states and 

12% of schools

across large urban 

school districts 

provide condoms 

for students.

Source: 2018 School Health Profiles

@CDC_DASH

www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth

Published 2020
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Adolescent Health: What Works in Schools

Sexual Health Services

How can schools increase access to sexual health services? 

Schools can provide students with access to sexual health services on site or in their community. 

y Schools can offer on-site SHS through their own healthcare 

infrastructure, such as school-based health centers (SBHCs) 

and school nurses. Schools may also bring in community 

partners to provide services, such as periodic, school-wide 

STD screening events or mobile clinics.

y Schools that cannot provide ongoing SHS on school 

grounds may link students to youth-friendly providers in 

the community through referrals. To create a successful 

referral system, schools need to build strong relationships 

with community providers, such as health departments, 

community-based organizations, and primary care providers. 

The cornerstone of a referral system is a referral guide—a 

list of local youth-friendly SHS providers along with their 

locations, phone numbers or websites, and other information.

KEYS TO SUCCESS

Provide professional 

development to staff on how 

to use a referral guide and 

how to create a referral. See 

Developing a Referral System 

for Sexual Health Services: An 

Implementation Kit for Education 

Agencies for tips and tools.

In addition to linking students to services, schools can help improve staff, parent, and student knowledge, 

awareness, and comfort with adolescent sexual health needs and services. For example:

y Hosting quarterly or yearly meetings with healthcare 

providers can give school staff the opportunity to 

meet providers, learn about the services they offer, 

and create ways for students to connect with them.

y Professional development to build staff comfort, 

capacity, and expertise in adolescent sexual health 

can improve clinical services in a variety of settings, 

including SBHCs.

y Sharing information with parents and families on 

SHS-related topics—such as recommendations for 

routine, preventive care and how to create a trusting 

relationship with a provider—may help support 

student use of SHS.

y Marketing campaigns for students can raise 

their awareness of SHS, encourage positive 

attitudes about getting services, and improve 

healthy behaviors.

KEYS TO SUCCESS

Train a broad selection of school 

staff—from teachers, counselors, 

and social workers, to coaches 

and security guards—to know 

the basics about SHS. This 

includes educating staff about 

laws and policies around patient 

confidentiality and minors’ rights 

to consent to care, as well as 

policies and procedures for 

parental consent.
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Adolescent Health: What Works in Schools

Sexual Health Services

What are the benefits of increasing access to sexual health 

services to adolescents?

Increasing access to and awareness of sexual health services has positive impacts on student health.

y SBHCs are associated with increased contraceptive use and 

sexual health care visits, and declines in unintended pregnancy.

y A referral program that helps school nurses connect students to 

youth-friendly, community health providers increases students’ 

use of contraception services, STD testing, and counseling. 

y Other school programs, such as condom availability programs, 

school-based STD screening events, and sexual health awareness 

campaigns, can improve students’ beliefs and attitudes about 

condom use and STD testing, and their use of SHS. 

KEYS TO SUCCESS

Incorporate information about 

SHS into your school’s sexual 

health education curriculum. 

This leverages your healthcare 

team’s efforts.

What does increasing access to sexual health services look 

like in action?

Here’s how schools can improve student access to sexual health services:

y Provide annual training and professional development to school 

and health service staff to support SHS activities

y Teach students how to access school-based and community 

SHS as part of their sexual health education curriculum

y Improve student use and quality of SHS provided by 

school-based health centers

y Establish or improve use of a referral system to link sexually 

active students to community healthcare providers

y Raise student awareness of SHS programs by implementing 

school-wide, student-planned marketing campaigns

y Organize field trips for students and key school staff to visit community-based, provider organizations

y Conduct school-based HIV and STD screening events 

y Implement or improve a condom availability program

y Distribute SHS-related materials to parents and families.

For More 

Information

Learn more about increasing access to sexual health services at www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/programguidance.

Check out CDC tools and resources for increasing student access to SHS at 

www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/healthservices.

Read additional info briefs in the Adolescent Health: What Works in Schools series at 

www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/whatworks.