What is a good high jump for a high school boy?

6'0" is a good varsity height, 6'2" to 6'6" is state qualifying range in most states, and 6'10" or better is D1 recruiting territory.

What is the average high jump for a high school boy?

Typical varsity heights run 5'6" to 6'0" (1.68m to 1.83m) across four years. Freshmen sit near the bottom of that, juniors and seniors near the top.

How high do you have to jump to qualify for state?

Usually 6'2" to 6'6", though it swings by state. Smaller states have sent boys at 6'0"; the deepest states need 6'6" to get out of a regional.

Is 6 feet a good high jump in high school?

Yes. It puts you in the upper half of varsity high jumpers nationally and it is a normal senior-year mark for a good jumper. It is usually one to six inches short of a state qualifying height.

Average High Jump for High School Boys by Year

Average High Jump for High School Boys

Six feet is the number every high school boy asks about, and it is a fair line to draw. Clearing 6'0" (1.83m) puts you in the upper half of varsity high jumpers in most states. It usually does not get you to the state meet. The ladder below runs freshman through senior, adds state qualifier and All-American heights, and gives every mark in both units so you are not doing conversions in your head. Youth and elite context above and below this sits in average high jump height by age.

Freshman to senior is about eight inches

A boy who opens freshman year at 5'2" and finishes senior year at 5'10" has followed a completely normal path. The biggest single-year gain usually lands sophomore year, when the approach curve stops being an accident. Past 6'2", improvement comes two inches at a time and takes whole seasons. The other vertical event moves on a different schedule, shown in average pole vault height for high school. The girls' version of this climb, and why a two-inch bar step costs them more, is in average high jump for high school girls.

The bar moves in steps, so the average is blurry

Meets raise the bar two inches at a time through the middle of a competition and often one inch at the top. A jumper whose real ceiling is 5'11" gets recorded at 5'10" because 5'11" was never on the card. Every published high jump average carries that rounding, which is why you should read these as bands and not points.

Vertical sets the floor, technique sets the ceiling

Standing vertical jump predicts the bottom of a high schooler's range fairly well. It stops predicting anything above about 6'2". Up there the result is decided by how far from the bar you take off and what your body does over it. Plenty of 40-inch verticals never clear six feet. Sprint speed is the other half of the picture, and the 100m ranges for high school boys put a number on it.

Grade your clearance against your level

Knowing you jump 5'10" tells you where you rank. It does not tell you which two inches you are missing. Film a clearance from the side of the pit, upload it, and AI grades your approach angle, takeoff distance from the bar, and arch against jumpers at the next height.

Follow up in chat and ask questions. The AI remembers your analysis and speaks the language of high jump coaching.

Free first analysis, no account required

Offline history cached on your device

Priority-tagged coaching notes

AI chat follow-up on every analysis

High school boys high jump by year and level

Class-year ranges are typical varsity heights, not roster averages, calibrated against the site's by-age high jump benchmarks. State qualifier, state champion, and NCAA rows below are editorial estimates, not marks pulled from specific published meets; state cutoffs vary heavily and NCAA marks move year to year.

Sources: MileSplit All-American criteria (top 8 nationally), Wikipedia's list of US high school national records (independently corroborated by Andra Manson's own competitive record) for the national mark. The state qualifier, state champion, and NCAA recruit rows are editorial estimates built to fit the ladder above and below them; we could not confirm them against specific published state meet results or an NCAA-issued standard, so treat them as a rough guide and check your own state's results.
Level	Height (feet)	Height (meters)
Freshman, on the team	4'8" - 5'2"	1.42 - 1.57m
Freshman, scoring at varsity meets	5'4" - 5'8"	1.63 - 1.73m
Sophomore varsity	5'6" - 5'10"	1.68 - 1.78m
Junior and senior varsity	5'10" - 6'2"	1.78 - 1.88m
State meet qualifier (editorial estimate)	6'2" - 6'6"	1.88 - 1.98m
State champion (editorial estimate)	6'6" - 6'10"	1.98 - 2.08m
NCAA D2 / D3 recruit (editorial estimate)	6'6" - 6'9"	1.98 - 2.06m
NCAA D1 recruit (editorial estimate)	6'10" - 7'2"	2.08 - 2.18m
High school All-American (top 8 nationally)	7'0" and up	2.13m+
National high school record	7'7" (Andra Manson, 2002)	2.31m

Sources: MileSplit All-American criteria (top 8 nationally), Wikipedia's list of US high school national records (independently corroborated by Andra Manson's own competitive record) for the national mark. The state qualifier, state champion, and NCAA recruit rows are editorial estimates built to fit the ladder above and below them; we could not confirm them against specific published state meet results or an NCAA-issued standard, so treat them as a rough guide and check your own state's results.

Level

Height (feet)

Height (meters)

Freshman, on the team

4'8" - 5'2"

1.42 - 1.57m

Freshman, scoring at varsity meets

5'4" - 5'8"

1.63 - 1.73m

Sophomore varsity

5'6" - 5'10"

1.68 - 1.78m

Junior and senior varsity

5'10" - 6'2"

1.78 - 1.88m

State meet qualifier (editorial estimate)

6'2" - 6'6"

1.88 - 1.98m

State champion (editorial estimate)

6'6" - 6'10"

1.98 - 2.08m

NCAA D2 / D3 recruit (editorial estimate)

6'6" - 6'9"

1.98 - 2.06m

NCAA D1 recruit (editorial estimate)

6'10" - 7'2"

2.08 - 2.18m

High school All-American (top 8 nationally)

7'0" and up

2.13m+

National high school record

7'7" (Andra Manson, 2002)

2.31m

Average High Jump for High School Boys

Reading the high school boys ladder

Freshman to senior is about eight inches

The bar moves in steps, so the average is blurry

Vertical sets the floor, technique sets the ceiling

Grade your clearance against your level

High school boys high jump by year and level

Average High Jump for High School Boys FAQ

The full high jump index

Film a clearance and find the next two inches.

Average High Jump for High School Boys

Freshman to senior is about eight inches

The bar moves in steps, so the average is blurry

Vertical sets the floor, technique sets the ceiling

Grade your clearance against your level

High Jump Video Analysis

Average 100m Time for High School Boys

Average Pole Vault Height for High School

Average Long Jump for High School Girls

High Jump AI

Online High Jump Coaching

High Jump App

Frame-by-Frame High Jump Video Analysis

Fix My High Jump Form

High Jump Drills

High Jump Technique

High Jump Tips

How to High Jump

Common High Jump Mistakes

High Jump Workouts

High Jump Training Plan

High Jump Warm-Up

High Jump for Beginners

High School High Jump

Perfect High Jump Form

Fosbury Flop Technique

High Jump J-Curve Approach

High Jump Takeoff Technique

High Jump Bar Clearance

How to High Jump Higher

Average High Jump Height by Age

Why You Can't Clear the Bar

Fosbury Flop vs Scissor Kick

High Jump Drills Without a Mat

Plyometrics for High Jumpers

How to High Jump 6 Feet

Average High Jump for a 14-Year-Old

How Tall Are High Jumpers

Average High Jump for High School Girls

Why Your High Jump Approach Is Inconsistent

Why You Hit the Bar With Your Legs

Why You Take Off Too Far From the Bar

What Is a Good High Jump?

High Jump vs Pole Vault

Decathlon Training Plan

Heptathlon Training Plan

D1 Track Recruiting Standards by Event

College Track Recruiting Timeline

How to Make a Track Recruiting Video

High School Track Records by Event

Film a clearance and find the next two inches.