If you’re looking for a quick answer, here it is: the typical age range for a junior is 16 to 17 years old. But there’s a lot more to understand about the ages and grade levels in high school. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover all you need to know about how old students are during their junior year of high school.

So by 11th grade, the majority of students reach age 17 at some point during the school year, making 17 the most common age for high school juniors in the U.S. To illustrate the age ranges in more detail, let‘s look at a breakdown of percentages:

In the USA, most people apply to college as a senior in high school at age 17 and start their freshman year at age 18 (or about to turn 18). Many college students turn 21 during their junior year of college, and are 21 (and legal to drink) for all of their senior year. Therefore, a junior in college is typically around 20 years old.

Junior year is when high school academics ramp up to the most challenging coursework to prepare students for college: Juniors also take major standardized tests like the SAT, ACT, and AP exams that are crucial for their transcripts and college applications. The academic demands of junior year are very high.