How Tall Will I Be? Height Calculator
Two ways to estimate adult height for a teen: holding today's height percentile constant to adulthood, and the mid-parental method. Both are shown side by side, plus a table of predicted adult height by current-height percentile.
Method 1: percentile tracking
176 cm
holding the 44th percentile to adulthood
Method 2: mid-parental height
177 cm
±8.5 cm rule-of-thumb band: 169-186 cm (most, not all, children land inside it)
Current height is the 44th percentile for a 13-year-old boy (CDC standard).
Predicted adult height by current-height percentile
| P3 | P10 | P25 | P50 | P75 | P90 | P97 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 163cm 5'4" | 168cm 5'6" | 172cm 5'8" | 177cm 5'10" | 182cm 5'12" | 186cm 6'1" | 190cm 6'3" |
Reading: if your teen is currently tracking the 75th percentile for height, the same percentile channel held to adulthood lands around the P75 column above (boys).
Why two methods, side by side
Percentile tracking (finding your teen's current height percentile against the CDC/WHO charts, then reading the same percentile off the CDC chart's terminal row at 20 years) uses your teen's own measured growth. Mid-parental height uses only the parents' heights. Showing both, rather than picking one, is more honest about how much either method can actually promise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which method is more accurate for a teenager?
Neither is precise for one individual, but percentile tracking tends to be more informative once a teen is already partway through puberty, because it's anchored to their own measured growth rather than only their parents' heights. Mid-parental height is the better starting point before puberty begins, when there isn't much of a personal growth curve to track yet.
Why do the two methods sometimes give different answers?
They use different information. Percentile tracking assumes your teen keeps growing along the same curve they're on today. Mid-parental height assumes they'll land near the midpoint of their parents' heights. A teen who's an early or late bloomer, or who grows at a different rate than their parents did, can land at a different point on one method than the other -- that's normal, not a sign either number is wrong.
Does puberty timing throw off the percentile-tracking estimate?
Yes, somewhat -- a child mid-growth-spurt can temporarily track a higher percentile than they'll settle at once growth finishes, and a child who hasn't started puberty yet can look artificially low. This is exactly the gap Khamis-Roche was designed to close with additional inputs; see the FAQ on the Child Height Predictor homepage for why that method isn't included here.
At what age does height prediction become more reliable?
Generally after most of puberty's growth spurt has happened -- late teens for both sexes, since growth plates close and further height gain becomes minimal. Height calculators, including this one, are least reliable in the early-to-middle stages of puberty, when growth rate varies the most between individuals.
These calculators estimate from published population reference data (the CDC and WHO growth charts) and published rules of thumb -- not a diagnosis, and not a substitute for your pediatrician, who tracks your child's own growth curve over time and knows their history.