Average height for a 12-year-old girl
At exactly 12 years old, the median girl in the US is 4'11½" (151.2 cm) tall, according to the CDC growth charts. Half of 12-year-old girls are between 4'9½" and 5'1½", and about 9 in 10 fall between 4'6½" and 5'4".
Height percentiles for 12-year-old girls
CDC 2000 stature-for-age chart, at 12 years 0 months.
| Percentile | Height | cm | in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | 4'6" | 137.1 | 54.0 |
| 5th | 4'6½" | 138.9 | 54.7 |
| 10th | 4'8" | 141.7 | 55.8 |
| 25th | 4'9½" | 146.2 | 57.6 |
| 50th (median) | 4'11½" | 151.2 | 59.5 |
| 75th | 5'1½" | 156.1 | 61.5 |
| 90th | 5'3" | 160.6 | 63.2 |
| 95th | 5'4" | 163.2 | 64.2 |
| 97th | 5'5" | 164.9 | 64.9 |
What’s typical at 12 for girls
Between 12 and 13, the median girl grows about 2½ in (6.0 cm) — from 4'11½" to 5'2".
A median 12-year-old girl has reached about 93% of the CDC's median adult height for women (5'4½"), so roughly 5 in (12.2 cm) of growth is still typical from here.
The girls' growth spurt peaks around 11 to 12 on average, so this is the widest spread at any age: a girl who has finished her spurt and one who hasn't started can be a head apart and both be perfectly typical. Growth slows sharply after the first period, which comes around 12 to 13 on average.
How to read a percentile
A percentile compares a child with others of the same age and sex on the CDC 2000 growth charts — the same L, M and S values a pediatrician’s chart is drawn from, and where every number on this page comes from. The 50th percentile is the median: half of girls that age are shorter and half are taller. The 5th and 95th bracket the middle 90%.
Pediatricians care less about the number than the line. A child who stays near the same percentile year after year is growing normally, whatever that percentile is — a steady 15th is healthier than a 60th that has just dropped from the 90th. Crossing two of the major lines, or sitting below the 3rd, is the usual cue to have a pediatrician take a look. None of this is medical advice.
How tall will a 12-year-old girl be as an adult?
Height at 12 is one input. The calculator combines it with both parents’ heights and puberty timing to give the range adult height will most likely land in — free, no account.
Try the height calculatorThe MaxHeight app shows the number inside that range and sharpens it as you log — free to download on the App Store.
Source: CDC 2000 growth charts, stature-for-age LMS parameters (statage.csv). Adult figures: NHANES 2015–2018. MaxHeight is not affiliated with or endorsed by the CDC.