Free CDC-based growth tool
Child Height Percentile & Adult Height Predictor
See your child’s current CDC height percentile and the age-20 height on the same growth channel.
- Based on the CDC 2000 stature-for-age reference
- For children and teens ages 2–20
- Your child’s information stays in this browser
Current height percentile
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Growth-curve estimate at age 20
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Your child’s growth channel
CDC stature-for-age chart
The dotted projection assumes the same CDC percentile is maintained through age 20. It is for educational use only—not a clinical prediction, medical advice, or a guarantee of adult height. View the CDC source .
How This CDC Height Percentile Calculator Works
Enter your child’s date of birth, measurement date, sex, and standing height. The tool uses the CDC 2000 stature-for-age LMS reference for ages 2 through 20 to calculate the current height percentile, plot the child on an interactive CDC growth chart, and estimate the age-20 height if the same growth channel is maintained.
This is an educational growth-curve estimate—not a clinical prediction, medical advice, or guarantee of adult height.
Common Uses
- Routine well-child visits: plot height on the CDC chart and see the current percentile
- Short stature checks: flag heights near or below the 3rd percentile for follow-up discussion
- Tall stature checks: flag heights near or above the 97th percentile for follow-up discussion
- Puberty monitoring: track whether the child holds or shifts growth channels through the adolescent spurt
- Trajectory comparison: set the age-20 CDC-channel estimate next to a parental-height estimate
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FAQs
What does a height percentile mean?
A percentile compares one measurement with children of the same age and sex in the CDC reference population. The 70th percentile means the child is taller than approximately 70% of that reference group.
How this child height percentile calculator works?
This height calculator compares a shoes-off standing height with the CDC 2000 stature-for-age reference for children and teens ages 2 to 20. It uses exact age, sex, and the CDC LMS method to calculate a height percentile.
How the adult height predictor is different?
Many adult height tools rely mainly on mid-parental height, or combine parents’ heights with the child’s current size (for example, Khamis-Roche). This tool does something else: it follows the child’s current CDC stature-for-age percentile and reads the height at age 20 on that same growth channel. For many typical children, staying near their present channel is a useful growth-curve reference, but children can shift channels, especially around puberty. Treat the result as an educational estimate, not a clinical prediction or guarantee of adult height.
Is this an exact adult height prediction?
No. The estimate shows where the same percentile reaches at age 20. Genetics, puberty timing, health, nutrition, sleep, and other factors can change a child’s growth path.
How does parental height affect my child's percentile?
For a typically developing child, genetics accounts for roughly 60–80% of adult height. Mid-parental height—parents’ average, plus 6.5 cm for boys or minus 6.5 cm for girls—offers a family target of about ±8.5 cm. A healthy child whose percentile sits away from that zone may simply be settling toward the family mean. Parental-height formulas estimate genetic potential; this CDC tool instead shows where the child’s current growth channel points at age 20.
When should I be concerned about my child's height?
Talk with your pediatrician if height stays below the 3rd percentile, above the 97th, or crosses two or more major percentile lines between visits. One out-of-range measurement matters less than a clear pattern over time. Also seek evaluation if an adult-height estimate sits far outside the family range, or if height shifts alongside early or late puberty signs.
When does the pubertal growth spurt happen?
Most girls start their growth spurt around ages 10–12, with peak height velocity near 12, often about 8–10 cm in that fastest year. Boys usually begin roughly two years later, peak near 14 at about 9–11 cm per year, and tend to keep growing a bit longer. If a child’s percentile edges upward during these windows, they may simply be peaking earlier than the average timeline.
When do growth plates close?
Long-bone growth plates usually fuse around ages 14–16 for girls and 16–18 for boys; after that, linear height gain essentially ends. A left-hand bone-age X-ray can show how much growth potential remains by comparing skeletal maturity with chronological age.