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We last saw the kids from small-town Hawkins, Indiana, on our television screens in the summer of 2019. Since then, we’ve endured a pandemic, watched the world almost come to a complete standstill, and saw Stranger Things 4 halt production for several months due to the coronavirus (COVID-19). However, we made it to the other side, and now we’re a little over a week away from the upcoming season. With the delay, the ages of the characters in the show might be a little fuzzy. So, how old are the kids in Stranger Things 4? We’ve got your answers.

Caleb Mclaughlin, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Sadie Sink, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Priah Ferguson attends Netflix's Stranger Things Season 4 New York Premiere at Netflix Brooklyn. How old are the kids in season 4?
Caleb Mclaughlin, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Sadie Sink, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Priah Ferguson attends Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 New York Premiere at Netflix Brooklyn | Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images

How old were the kid characters in season 1?

If you need a refresher, let’s take a look back at Stranger Things Season 1. The Netflix original premiered in July 2016 to almost no fanfare. As one of the first Netflix originals, the streaming platform didn’t market the series much behind an occasional blurb in a magazine weeks before it premiered.

In Stranger Things Season 1, the younger group of kids consists of Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard,) Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo,) Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin,) and Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). In the opening episode, we learn that it’s Nov. 3, 1983. Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will attend Hawkins Middle School as sixth graders, which means they’re all between the ages of 11 and 12.

Mike’s older sister, Nancy, played by Natalia Dyer, is a freshman at Hawkins High School, along with her friend Barb (Shannon Purser). Nancy dates Steve Harrington (Joe Keery,) a junior, and she befriends Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton,) who is a freshman like her.

How old are the ‘Stranger Things’ kids in season 4?

Each season of Stranger Things takes place during a different season. Season 1 showed the Byers enjoying Christmas, while season 2 featured Mike and the rest of the gang dressing up for Halloween. In Stranger Things Season 3, we watch as the kids try to enjoy their final summer before high school.

Stranger Things 4 picks up in the spring of 1986. Eleven and the Byers prepare to celebrate spring break in California with a visit from Mike, while the rest of the group stays in Hawkins. When we catch up with everyone, we learn that Mike, Eleven, and the rest of the younger group are now freshmen in high school, making them between 14 and 15. Nancy, Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke,) and Jonathan are seniors. Steve graduated and now works at Family Video.

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The aging of the actors was a big concern for ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4

Because of the filming delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, fans became concerned the actors might look too old to play their respective characters in the new season. Many wondered how the series’ creators, Ross and Matt Duffer, would handle the issue. Some viewers thought they might use de-aging techniques similar to those used in It: Chapter 2, but thankfully that wasn’t needed. 

Even at 20 years old, McLaughlin still looks young enough to play a high schooler. The same goes for Wolfhard, Matarazzo, and the rest of the group. The Duffer Brothers announced Stranger Things Season 4 would be the penultimate season, leaving just one more season to film before the story concludes.

Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1 premieres exclusively on Netflix on May 27, 2022, and volume 2 drops on July 1, 2022.

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