How to make a classroom seating chart
- Type or paste the class list, one student per line. Anything after a comma is a private note, such as glasses or a hearing aid.
- List students who need the front row and any pairs to keep apart, one pair per line like “Jack & Mason”. Three names on a line keep all three apart.
- Set the room: pairs, groups of 4 or single desks, and how many rows and desks per row.
- Press Shuffle until you like the plan. Tap a desk and then another to swap two students by hand.
- Print the chart for the classroom or for a cover teacher, and download a CSV or a class file to keep.
Worked example: Class 7B in pairs
Class 7B has 28 students and a room of 5 rows with 6 desks in each, set out in pairs. That is 30 desks in 15 pairs, so 2 desks stay empty. Ben, Grace and Theo need the front row. Jack and Mason must be kept apart, and so must Kai, Noah and Zac, which makes 4 keep apart pairs in all.
With the shuffle code class7, all 4 pairs are apart and all 3 front row needs are met. In the front row Grace sits with Sam, Theo with Ben, and Ella with Daniel. The 2 empty desks are the last two in row 5, at the back of the room. Press Shuffle and you get a different plan that keeps the same rules.
How the shuffle keeps your rules
The shuffle puts the class in a random order, seats the students who need the front row first, then the students with the most keep apart pairs, and tries desks in a random order for each one. Whenever a desk would break a rule it tries the next, and if it gets stuck it steps back and moves an earlier student. So every plan it shows is one of the many valid plans, chosen at random.
Kept apart means two students are never at the same pair or group and never directly beside, in front of or behind each other. Diagonal desks are allowed. If your rules cannot all be met, for example five students who must all be apart in a room of groups of four, every student still gets a desk and the tool names each rule it had to break, so you can decide what to change.
Printing and sharing the plan
The print is one page, landscape when the room is wider than it is deep. Put the teacher’s desk at the top to see the room from the front, or at the bottom to match the view from the back of the class. Leave notes off for a chart the students can see, or turn them on for a cover teacher’s copy.
The class is saved in this browser, so it is there next lesson. Save class file downloads a .json file that opens on another computer or for a colleague, and the shuffle code brings back the same plan for the same class list. Nothing is uploaded, and you can use first names or initials if your school prefers.
Frequently asked questions
Is the random shuffle really random?
Yes. Each shuffle picks a new code and arranges the class in a random order that follows your rules. The same code with the same class list always gives the same plan, so a plan you liked can be brought back.
How many students and desks can I use?
Up to 80 students and up to 10 rows of 12 desks. If there are more students than desks, the tool says who has no desk so you can add a row.
Can I move one student without reshuffling?
Yes. Tap a student’s desk, then tap another desk to swap them, or an empty desk to move them there. If a swap breaks one of your rules, the tool says which one.
Do I need to give student names to a website?
No. The list never leaves your device: it is saved in this browser and in the files you download. You can also use first names, nicknames or initials.
Can I keep plans for several classes?
The page keeps the class you are working on. Use Save class file for each class and open the file you need, which also works on a different computer.