The bar is the front of the room. Each box is a desk, and the mark beside it is the chair.
Press Seat my class like this under any plan. The chart at the top of the page takes that shape and keeps your names.
2 chevrons 3
2 chevrons of 1020 seats
About 11 across and 5 deep. The smallest plan here, with 5 desks in each wing.
2 chevrons of 1224 seats
About 13 across and 5 deep, with 6 desks in each wing. For a wide, shallow room.
2 chevrons of 1428 seats
About 15 across and 6 deep. The widest plan here: each wing of 7 drops back 3 rows.
3 chevrons 4
3 chevrons of 824 seats
About 9 across and 6 deep. The same 24 seats as 2 chevrons of 12, but 4 desk-widths narrower.
3 chevrons of 1030 seats
About 11 across and 7 deep. The plan for a class of 30, with 5 desks in each wing.
3 chevrons of 1236 seats
About 13 across and 7 deep. The largest class that fits in 3 chevrons here: 36.
Tapered chevrons of 6, 8 and 1024 seats
About 11 across and 7 deep. Shortest chevron at the front, so no front seat is far to the side.
4 chevrons 3
4 chevrons of 624 seats
About 7 across and 8 deep. The narrowest plan here, for a long room. Each wing drops back 1 row.
4 chevrons of 832 seats
About 9 across and 8 deep. 32 seats, so a class of 30 keeps 2 spare desks at the back.
Tapered chevrons of 6, 8, 10 and 1236 seats
About 13 across and 9 deep. Fans out from the board: 6 in the first chevron, 12 in the last.
Half chevrons and mixed rows 2
3 rows of 9 with a straight center and angled wings27 seats
About 11 across and 6 deep. Only the 3 desks at each end of a row are turned.
3 half chevrons of 8 for a board in the corner24 seats
About 8 across and 8 deep. All 3 rows slant one way, towards a board in the front left corner.
How this list was compiled: Plans drawn for this site. A chevron is sketched on a grid of desk-sized squares: each wing drops back 1 square for every 2 desks, which is what a 30 degree turn gives (the sine of 30 degrees is one half), with the outer end of each wing nearest the board. Every plan was checked on 2026-09-19: the rows of a plan are the same length, no 2 desks share a square and the desks add up to the seat count given. Widths and depths are counts of squares, worked out twice. No measurements, desk sizes or research findings are quoted. Licence: own work
How it works
A chevron seating arrangement splits each row at a center aisle and turns both halves towards the board, making a V. These 12 drawn plans seat 20 to 36, and the chart above takes the shape of any of them.
Read the full guide
How many chevrons for your class
Fewer, longer chevrons suit a wide room; more, shorter ones suit a long room. 24 students fit 2 chevrons of 12 (13 desks across), 3 chevrons of 8 (9 across) or 4 chevrons of 6 (7 across). A wing drops back 1 row for every 2 desks, so long wings cost depth.
Seat your class in the chevrons
Paste your class onto the chart. Up to 24 names move to 3 chevrons of 8, 25 to 30 stay on 3 chevrons of 10, and 31 to 36 get 3 chevrons of 12. For another shape, press Seat my class like this under any plan below. Seat labels count rows from the board, and one chevron of 10 crosses 3 of them.
The 2 desks beside the center aisle do not touch on the chart, so a kept-apart pair may sit across it.
Students set at the front get the 4 outer desks of the first chevron. For a seat by the aisle, swap and lock it.
Questions and answers
What is chevron style seating?
Rows split at a center aisle, with both halves angled towards the front. It is also called V-shaped seating, after the chevron, a V-shaped stripe. In these plans the V opens towards the board and each wing turns 30 degrees.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of chevron seating?
Everyone faces the board, as in rows, and students at the ends look at it more squarely and can see some classmates' faces. It costs depth: a wing of 5 drops back 2 rows. To face the middle of the room instead, use a U-shape.
How many students fit in a chevron layout?
The plans here seat 20 to 36. A class of 30 fits 3 chevrons of 10, or 4 chevrons of 8 with 2 spare desks. For 36, use 3 chevrons of 12 or the tapered chevrons of 6, 8, 10 and 12.