Objective An attempt has been made in this study to evaluate the growth and nutritional status among early adolescent school girls (age group of 10 to 14 years) of Dantan-II Block, Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal. Methods A cross sectional study was carried out in rural adolescent school girls of 18 government-approved upper primary schools of Dantan-II Block, Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal. Anthropometric and socio-demographic information from 3693 adolescent girls were collected during 2009-2010 academic session. Height and weight were measured using standard procedure and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated. BMI was compared to 2007 WHO growth reference. Height- for-age (HAZ), weight-for-age (WAZ) and BMI-for-age (BMIZ) were used to evaluate stunting, underweight and thinness respectively, based on the National Centre of Heath Statistics (NCHS) < - 2 Z score values. Classification of severity of malnutrition was done based on WHO recommendation. Results Mean BMI-for-age were less than those of 2007 WHO growth reference for girls at all ages. The overall rate of stunting, underweight and thinness was 33.13%, 28.06% and 17.92% respectively. Based on WHO classification of severity of malnutrition, the overall prevalence of stunting was high (30-39%), whereas those of underweight (≥ 30) and thinness (≥ 15) were very high. Conclusion The study shows that poor health and nutritional status among the adolescents indicating a major public health problem. An intensive and comprehensive approach is required to improve the nutritional status of rural adolescent girls.