Objective: the purpose of this study was to describe and compare the level of personal, school, family and social adjustment in adolescents who practice physical activity compared to those who do not practice it. Method: a descriptive study of comparative type. The Children Adaptation Multifactor Self-assessment Test (TAMAI for its initials in Spanish) by Hernández (1998) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) by Booth (2000) were applied to 68 young people from the city of Duitama (Colombia), 34 for each characterization group were applied. Results: the results showed that there were significant differences between adolescents who practice physical activity and those who do not, resulting in larger school and social maladjustment among those who do not practice it. Conclusions: the conclusions lead to acknowledging that the adaptation of the teenager should be holistic, comprising several areas of development for the adjustment to be consistent with environmental demands.