Panabaker followed her initial appearances in commercials with roles in television, including a part in the series, The Guardian (for which she won a Young Artist Award), as well as other television series including Malcolm in the Middle, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Summerland, and the Disney Channel Original Movie Stuck in the Suburbs. She has also appeared in the Lifetime Television productions Sex and the Single Mom and Mom at Sixteen, as well as the well-reviewed miniseries Empire Falls. In addition, Panabaker also appeared in stage productions with roles in musical theater, including West Side Story, Pippin, Once Upon A Time, and Beauty Lou and the Country Beast.

In 2005, Panabaker co-starred in two widely released theatrical films, Sky High and Yours, Mine and Ours. Her next role will be in the film Home of the Giants, opposite Ryan Merriman and Haley Joel Osment. She also has a supporting role in the film Mr. Brooks opposite Kevin Costner. In the Disney Chann