Height Chart for 13-Year-Old Boys
The CDC median for 13-year-old boys is 156.4 cm (5 ft 1.6 in), with the 3rd percentile at 141.7 cm and the 97th at 171.3 cm. In the year that starts here the median gains 7.7 cm, 0.1 cm short of the largest 12-month gain after age 6 in the boys' table (7.8 cm, from 12 years 9 months).
| Percentile | Metric | Feet-inches |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | 141.7 cm | 4 ft 7.8 in |
| 5th | 143.6 cm | 4 ft 8.5 in |
| 10th | 146.4 cm | 4 ft 9.6 in |
| 25th | 151.1 cm | 4 ft 11.5 in |
| 50th | 156.4 cm | 5 ft 1.6 in |
| 75th | 161.7 cm | 5 ft 3.7 in |
| 90th | 166.6 cm | 5 ft 5.6 in |
| 95th | 169.5 cm | 5 ft 6.7 in |
| 97th | 171.3 cm | 5 ft 7.5 in |
Check a height against this row
Accepts 125.5 to 188.5 cm.
How fast the median rises from 13 years
Of that, 3.9 cm comes in the first 6 months. A year before this age the 12-month gain was 7.1 cm; at 9 years 7 months, the slowest point between ages 4 and 10, it was 4.9 cm.
In the same 12 months the 3rd-percentile value rises 6.8 cm and the 97th-percentile value 7.5 cm. The upper line is still pulling away from the lower one.
Puberty usually starts between ages 9 and 14 in boys, so at 13 years some children are already growing fast and others have not started. The median row describes the group, not a schedule for one child.
| Age | 3rd | 50th | 97th | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 years | 130.8 | 143.7 | 157.3 | |
| 12 years | 135.7 | 149.3 | 163.7 | +5.6 |
| 12 years 6 months | 138.5 | 152.7 | 167.4 | +3.4 |
| 13 years | 141.7 | 156.4 | 171.3 | +3.7 |
| 13 years 6 months | 145.1 | 160.3 | 175.2 | +3.9 |
| 14 years | 148.5 | 164.1 | 178.8 | +3.8 |
| 15 years | 154.6 | 170.1 | 184.1 | +6.0 |
Spread at 13 years
The 3rd-to-97th range is 29.6 cm here, up from 26.5 cm at 11 years. For boys it is widest at 13 years 9 months, at 30.3 cm. The middle half, 25th to 75th, covers 10.6 cm; a wider range means age alone tells you less about height.
Put another way, the 3rd-percentile height here (141.7 cm) is about the median for boys aged 10 years 7 months (141.7 cm), and the 97th-percentile height (171.3 cm) is about level with the median at 15 years 3 months (171.2 cm).
Girls and boys around 13 years
From 10 years 9 months to 13 years 2 months the girls' median in the CDC table is higher than the boys'. At 13 years the girls' median is 157.3 cm and the boys' is 156.4 cm, a difference of 0.9 cm. By 20 the boys' median is 13.5 cm higher.
When to ask a pediatrician
The site's guides list these as reasons to see a pediatrician: no signs of puberty by 14 in boys, puberty that starts before 9, crossing downward through percentile lines, and slow growth together with symptoms such as fatigue or weight loss.
Reference values only, not medical advice. How these tables are built.