Average Height for a 17-Year-Old Boy (2026): Is He Still Growing?

The average height for a 17-year-old boy is about 5 feet 9 inches, or roughly 175 cm. That is the 50th percentile on the CDC growth chart. Most 17-year-old boys are between about 5 ft 4 in and 6 ft 2 in. Most boys have done nearly all their growing by 17. A late starter can still have a little left.

At 17, many boys and their parents are asking the same thing. Is this it, or is there more coming? The honest answer depends on when puberty started. Here are the real numbers and the signs to look for.

How tall is the average 17-year-old boy?

The average 17-year-old boy is about 5 feet 9 inches tall, or about 175 cm. That number comes from the CDC growth charts used by US pediatricians.

Average is the middle, not a goal. Half of boys his age are taller and half are shorter. A boy who is 5 feet 6 inches can be just as healthy as one who is 6 feet tall.

Growth has slowed a lot by now. On the CDC chart, the average boy gains about 1.7 cm from 16 to 17. From 17 to 19, the average adds only about 1.3 cm more. That is about half an inch.

What is the normal height range for a 17-year-old boy?

Doctors read height as a percentile. A boy at the 10th percentile is taller than 10 of every 100 boys his age. At the 90th, he is taller than 90 of them.

Here is the CDC chart for boys from 15 to 19, using exact birthdays.

Source: CDC clinical growth charts, boys stature-for-age. Values rounded from the CDC data file.

Notice how the rows almost stop changing after 17. That flattening is the chart telling you most boys are at or near their adult height.

Is a 17-year-old boy still growing?

Most are close to done. Nemours KidsHealth says boys usually start puberty between 10 and 16. They grow fastest between about 12 and 15. Most boys have stopped growing by about 16.

But timing varies a lot. A boy who started puberty at 15 is on a later clock than a boy who started at 11. The late starter may still be growing at 17, and sometimes a bit past it.

So the better question is not his age. It is how long ago his growth spurt started. If he shot up at 13 or 14, he is probably done. If his big jump only came at 15 or 16, he may have some left.

What are the signs a boy is done growing?

There is no single test at home, but a few clues help.

• His height has not changed across a few measurements over 6 to 12 months.
• His shoe size has stayed the same for a year or more.
• He has a full adult voice and shaves regularly.
• His growth spurt started three or more years ago.

None of these is proof. A doctor can check bone age with a hand X-ray, which shows whether the growth plates are still open. Read more in our guide on how to tell if growth plates are closed.

How much taller will a 17-year-old boy get?

For most boys, not much. The average adds about half an inch between 17 and 19. Some boys will add nothing. A late starter might add an inch or two.

His parents' heights are the best guide. Doctors use the mid-parental height: add the mother's and father's heights, add 5 inches for a boy, and divide by 2. Mayo Clinic is clear there is no sure way to predict adult height, so treat the answer as a midpoint, not a promise.

Research suggests genes explain roughly 60 to 80 percent of adult height (Cleveland Clinic). Here is our honest view: genetics sets the ceiling, and nutrition, sleep and health set the floor. By 17, most of that work is already done.

Why are some 17-year-old boys still short?

The most common reason is simple timing. Some boys start puberty late. They are short at 13 and 14, then grow later and keep going longer than their friends. Many end up in a normal adult range.

Other causes are less common. Long-term illness, very low food intake for a long time, and some medicines can slow growth. A boy who is much shorter than his family, or who stopped growing early, should see a doctor.

For comparison, the average 17-year-old girl is about 5 ft 4 in. She likely stopped growing two or three years ago. You can see her numbers in our guide to the average height for a 16-year-old girl.

Does lifting weights stunt growth at 17?

No. This is one of the most common myths. A review of 22 studies found that supervised strength training did not affect height in young people. We break down the research in does lifting weights stunt your growth.

What matters is good form, a sensible load and enough food. Training hard without eating enough is the real problem, because a growing body needs fuel for both.

What does a 17-year-old boy need for healthy growth?

Even when height is nearly set, his bones and muscles are still building.

1. Protein. Boys 14 to 18 need about 52 grams a day. Most get this from meals. See protein for growing kids.
2. Calcium. Teens need 1,300 mg a day, and many fall short. See how much calcium teens need.
3. Vitamin D. It helps the body use calcium. The daily target is 600 IU.
4. Zinc and magnesium. Boys 14 to 18 need about 11 mg of zinc and 410 mg of magnesium a day.
5. Sleep. The CDC says teens 13 to 17 need 8 to 10 hours a night. Few get it.
6. Movement. The CDC suggests 60 minutes of activity a day, with muscle and bone work at least 3 days a week.

When should you see a doctor about a 17-year-old's height?

KidsHealth says the key question is whether a teen keeps growing at a normal pace, not whether he matches his friends. Talk to his doctor if:

• He showed few or no signs of puberty by 14 or 15.
• His height has dropped across percentile lines on his chart.
• He is much shorter than his parents' heights would predict.
• He has other symptoms, like tiredness, weight loss or poor appetite.

It is worth asking sooner rather than later. Once the growth plates close, nothing can add height. Our guide to what age kids stop growing explains the timeline.

Can supplements make a 17-year-old boy taller?

No supplement can make a teen taller than his genes allow. Once growth plates close, no vitamin, pill or stretch can add height. Be careful of anything that promises inches.

If a boy still has growth left and is truly low in a nutrient, fixing that gap supports healthy growth. A large trial in Mongolia found that weekly vitamin D for three years did not change children's height, even though most started out low. That is why we never promise a number.

A good supplement for a 17-year-old is about filling gaps for bones and overall health. If you compare brands, check sugar and printed doses first. We ranked the main options in our guide to the best growth gummies for kids.

Tallori Growth Gummies cover ages 5 to 18, so they still fit a 17-year-old. They have zero added sugar and are sweetened with monk fruit and xylitol. All 7 vitamin and mineral doses are printed on the label: vitamin C, vitamin D3, vitamin K2 as MK-7, calcium, magnesium, zinc and algae DHA. The botanicals sit in a 112.4mg Tallori Clean Growth Blend, and those single doses are not printed.

At 17, think of Tallori as support for bones and daily nutrition, not a height product. It does not add inches, and it does not replace protein or meals.

This article is for informational purposes and is not medical advice. Talk to your child's pediatrician about any nutrition, training or growth concerns.