how old were the kids in stranger things season 1

In Stranger Things Season 1, the main kids’ characters are meant to be around 12 years old , i.e., early middle-school age in 7th grade.

Ages of the main kids (in-universe)

Most sources and fan analyses line up on the kids’ ages in November 1983, when Season 1 takes place.

• Mike Wheeler – about 12 years old (7th grade).

• Eleven – about 12 years old, roughly the same age as Mike, though her exact birthday is unclear in the show.

• Dustin Henderson – about 12 years old.

• Lucas Sinclair – about 12 years old.

• Will Byers – about 12 years old; often noted as one of the slightly older ones in the friend group, but still around 12 in Season 1.

Teen characters in Season 1

Alongside the younger kids, the core teen characters are depicted as mid-teens in high school.

• Nancy Wheeler – written as about 15–16 (sophomore in high school).

• Jonathan Byers – also about 15–16 (sophomore).

• Steve Harrington – about 16–17 (junior, one grade above Nancy and Jonathan).

Quick note on actor vs. character ages

Viewers often notice that the actors were not exactly the same age as their characters.

• Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) was around 11 during Season 1 filming, while Eleven is about 12 in the story.

• The teen actors (like Natalia Dyer as Nancy) were generally several years older than the characters they played, e.g., early twenties playing mid-teens.

TL;DR: In Stranger Things Season 1, the “kids” (Mike, Eleven, Dustin, Lucas, Will) are written as about 12 years old, while the teen trio (Nancy, Jonathan, Steve) are roughly 15–17.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.