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Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    28 PA Code, Chapter 23.7 states "Height and weight measurement shall be conducted at least once annually and preferably twice annually. Every effort shall be made to determine the pattern of growth for each child so that his weight and height can be interpreted in light of his own growth pattern rather than those of his classmates."

    NOTE: Beginning with school year 2015-16, the Department of Health Body Mass Index (BMI) for-age percentile categories will match the CDC BMI-for-age percentile categories as follows:

    • Underweight: < 5th percentile
    • Healthy Weight: 5th - < 85th percentile
    • Overweight: 85th - < 95th percentile
    • Obese: =/> 95th percentile

    For schools using electronic health records or systems to calculate BMI and BMI-for-age percentile, please notify your vendors of this change. 

    Procedures for the Growth Screening Program for Pennsylvania's School-Age Population

    The Template Pennsylvania Student Wellness Report developed by the Department serves only as a template and is not required to be used by schools. This new, updated template provides the relevant information necessary for a parent to speak to their child’s physician regarding their child’s wellness. 

    CDC Growth Charts (Boys and Girls ages two to 20). These forms can be used to calculate student's BMI-for-Age Percentile.