How to make a classroom seating chart
A seating chart helps with behaviour, with new students, and with substitute teachers who do not know anyone’s name. This maker lays the room out as rows of seats, from the front to the back. Paste the class list, say how many rows and seats you have, and press Shuffle to seat everyone at random.
What you can do with the grid
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Shuffle | Seats every student who is not in a locked seat at random in the open seats. |
| Rotate | Moves every unlocked student one seat along in reading order, and the last seat wraps to the first. |
| Lock | Keeps the selected seat’s student in place through every shuffle and rotation. |
| Swap by hand | Select one seat, then another: the students swap, or the student moves to an empty seat. |
Step by step
- Count the rows and the seats in a row and enter them. The grid holds up to 12 rows of 12 seats.
- Paste the names, one per line.
- Select the seats that must stay, for example a student who needs to sit at the front, and lock them.
- Press Shuffle. If you like the plan, print it; if not, shuffle again.
- Later in the term, press Rotate for a new plan where every student moves by the same step.
When it does not fit
If there are more students than seats, the extra students wait in the “Not seated” list. Add a row or a seat and select a student and then an empty seat to place them. Two students with the same name are treated as one name when a student is removed from the list, so write them differently, for example “Sam K.” and “Sam L.”.
Classroom grid or a table seating chart?
Rows suit a classroom. For a wedding, a banquet or a party you need round or long tables, rules such as “keep these two apart”, and print-ready cards. For that, use the seating chart generator.
Frequently asked questions
Is the classroom seating chart maker free?
Yes, with no limit on students, no account and no watermark. It runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
How do I seat students at random?
Paste the class list, one name per line, set the number of rows and seats per row, and press Shuffle. Every student who is not in a locked seat is placed at random in the open seats. Press Shuffle again for another plan.
How do I keep one student in the same seat?
Select the student’s seat and press “Lock or unlock the selected seat”. A locked seat keeps its student when you shuffle or rotate. Locked seats cannot be moved by hand until you unlock them.
What does Rotate do?
Rotate moves every student in an unlocked seat one seat along, in reading order from the front left, and the last wraps round to the first. It gives a new plan without chance, so each student moves by the same step.
Can I move one student by hand?
Yes. Select a seat, then select another seat: the two students swap, or the student moves if the other seat is empty. Students who did not fit in the grid wait in the “Not seated” list and can be placed by selecting them and then an empty seat.
How do I save or print the chart?
Use Print to print the grid, or download the CSV with row, seat and name to open in a spreadsheet. The chart is also saved in this browser so it is there when you come back on the same device.