Classroom Seating Chart Generator with Rules
Paste your roster, set up the room, tell it who must sit apart or near the front, and get a seating chart that follows your rules. Free, in your browser.
How it works
- Paste the roster. One name per line, straight from your gradebook or a spreadsheet column. Duplicate lines are ignored.
- Set up the room. Start from rows, pairs, tables of 4 or 6, or a U-shape, then change the number of rows and columns. Click "Edit desks" to add or remove single desks so the chart matches your real room.
- Add rules. Keep two students apart, seat two students next to each other, or put a student in the front or back rows.
- Generate. The generator tries thousands of arrangements and keeps one that meets every rule. Press Reshuffle as often as you like for a new one.
- Fine-tune and print. Click two desks to swap them by hand; rules that break turn red right away. Add notes for a substitute and print, or save as PDF from the print dialog.
What the rules mean
Keep apart means the two students never sit at touching desks: not side by side, not directly in front or behind, and not diagonal. Seat next to each other means their desks touch, which is useful for a reading buddy or a student who translates for a classmate. Front and back use the first one, two or three rows that actually have desks, so they work with table layouts too.
If a set of rules cannot all be met (for example, more "front" students than front desks), the tool still seats everyone, marks the rules it could not meet, and tells you how many. Adding desks or relaxing one rule usually fixes it. You can read more in the guide to separating students in a seating chart.
Privacy
Everything runs in your browser. The roster is never uploaded; your current class is kept only in this browser's local storage so it is still there when you come back. Using first names or initials works fine if you prefer.
Seating Chart Pro pack
The free tool above stays free. The Pro pack is a downloadable version of the same tool, as a single HTML file that runs offline in any modern browser, with extra features for teachers who reseat every few weeks:
- Saved classes: keep every period's roster, room, rules and current chart, and switch between them in one click.
- PNG and CSV export: a sharp image of the chart for sub folders, slides or email, plus a spreadsheet of who sits where.
- Pin a student to a desk so reshuffles move everyone else around them.
- Mix groups across tables: tag students (for example A, B, C) and the generator spreads each tag across the tables.
- Avoid repeat desk partners: remember up to three past charts so new ones pair students with someone new.
- No class size limit (the free version seats up to 40) and backup/restore of all classes as a file.
Questions
Is the free version really free?
Yes. You can generate, reshuffle, swap, and print as many charts as you need for classes of up to 40 students. The Pro pack adds saved classes, image and spreadsheet export, pinned desks, group mixing and partner history.
How do I get a PDF?
Click "Print / save as PDF" and choose "Save as PDF" as the printer. Only the chart, the class name, the date and your notes are printed. Landscape works best for wide rooms.
Can I see the chart from my desk at the back?
Turn on "Teacher view" to flip the chart so the front of the room is at the bottom, the way you see it standing at the board facing the class.
What does the Pro pack file need?
Only a browser. Open the HTML file from your computer; it does not need an internet connection, an account or an install. Saved classes stay in that browser on that computer, and you can move them with the backup file.