A high school girl jumping 15'6" is a normal varsity long jumper. One jumping 17'6" is probably going to her state meet. That two-foot band holds most of the sport, and it is where nearly every question about the average lands. Below is the four-year ladder with state and national context, in feet and meters, plus the part that costs girls the most distance and never appears on a result sheet.
A girl who opens her freshman year at 14'6" and finishes senior year at 16'6" has followed a completely ordinary curve. The steepest single jump is usually freshman to sophomore, when the approach becomes repeatable. After that, gains come in three and four inch pieces. Sprint speed follows the same four-year shape, shown in the 100m ranges for high school girls. The boys on the same roster climb their own four-year long jump ladder.
In a small state, 16'6" can qualify for the state meet. In California, Texas, or Florida, 18'0" may not get you out of the regional round. Any single national number for a state qualifier is misleading, so treat 17'6" to 19'0" as the honest band and check your own section's results from last spring. The published marks by state and classification are collected under long jump qualifying distance.
Your mark is measured from the front edge of the board back to the nearest break in the sand, regardless of where your foot actually left. Girls who chop the last stride to avoid a scratch routinely take off eight to twelve inches back. That is a season's worth of improvement being thrown away on every attempt. The measuring rule that makes it so expensive is spelled out in how the long jump is measured.
The gap between your takeoff foot and the board is measurable on video and nowhere else. Film a jump side-on from about 15 feet away, upload it, and AI reports your takeoff distance from the board along with approach speed and landing position.
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Class-year ranges are typical varsity marks, not roster averages, calibrated against the site's by-age long jump benchmarks and published state results. State cutoffs vary heavily by state, and the NCAA rows are editorial estimates of typical recruit range, not a published NCAA standard.
| Level | Distance (feet) | Distance (meters) |
|---|---|---|
| Freshman, on the team | 12'6" - 14'6" | 3.81 - 4.42m |
| Freshman, scoring at varsity meets | 15'0" - 16'6" | 4.57 - 5.03m |
| Sophomore varsity | 15'6" - 17'0" | 4.72 - 5.18m |
| Junior varsity-level | 16'0" - 17'6" | 4.88 - 5.33m |
| Senior varsity | 16'6" - 18'0" | 5.03 - 5.49m |
| State meet qualifier | 17'6" - 19'0" | 5.33 - 5.79m |
| State champion (typical winning mark) | 18'6" - 20'6" | 5.64 - 6.25m |
| NCAA D2 / D3 recruit | 18'0" - 19'6" | 5.49 - 5.94m |
| NCAA D1 recruit | 19'6" - 20'6" | 5.94 - 6.25m |
| High school All-American (top 8 nationally) | 20'0" and up | 6.10m+ |
| National high school record | 22'5", Kate Hall, 2015* | 6.83m |
Common questions athletes and coaches ask about this topic.
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