How it works
This random group generator opens on a sample class. Paste your own names under Your class to replace it. Choose a number of groups from 2 to 20, or a group size, and the sizes come out as even as the class allows. Add keep-apart pairs for students who should not work together and every new set respects them. Copy or print the result. Names stay in this browser.
Read the full guide
Number of groups or group size
Split into answers two different questions. A count, such as 6 groups, suits fixed stations: 6 lab benches means 6 groups, and the sizes never differ by more than one. A size, such as Groups of 4, suits a task built for a set number of people. When the class does not divide, the tool makes one more group and keeps them all slightly smaller, so no group is ever larger than you asked for. A class of 30 in groups of 4 comes out as 6 groups of 4 and 2 groups of 3. The status line above the groups spells out the split every time.
How keep-apart rules are met
Open Keep students apart, choose two students and press Keep apart. When you make groups, the students with the most rules are placed first, each into a group that holds nobody they must avoid. A repair pass then swaps students between groups until no rule is broken. Some sets of rules have no answer: three students who must all be apart cannot fit into 2 groups. In that case a banner names the pair and the group, and you can make more groups or drop a rule.
What is kept, copied and printed
The last set for each class is kept in this browser, so Tuesday's groups are still on screen on Wednesday until you press Make groups again. Copy puts the groups on the clipboard as plain text under the headings Group 1, Group 2 and so on, ready to paste into a slide. Print gives the same groups as a clean list on Letter or A4, one page for a typical class. There is no share link on this page on purpose, because a link would carry student names.
- Groups and seats share one class list. Type it here and the seating chart generator already knows the names and the keep-apart pairs.
- It works as a random class generator for a grade level too: paste up to 80 names, ask for 3 groups, and add rules for the pairs the team wants in different rooms.
- Two students who must work together? Type them on one line, such as Maya + Nora. They move as one entry, so expect that group to look one short.
- Press Make groups once, in front of the class, and keep the result. A second press because someone groaned teaches everyone to groan.
- For stations, make as many groups as you have stations and treat the group number as the starting station.
Questions and answers
How do I make random pairs?
Under Split into, choose Groups of 2. With an even class everyone has a partner. With an odd class one student is left alone, because a group is never larger than the size you set. To get one trio, choose a number of groups, half the class rounded down: 31 students in 15 groups gives 14 pairs and one group of 3.
Are the groups really random?
Yes. Every press of Make groups shuffles the whole class again, and nothing about earlier sets or the order of your list affects the result. The only limits are your own keep-apart rules. The order of names inside each group is shuffled as well.
Can I balance groups by ability or reading level?
Not directly, since the tool knows names and nothing else. One method works well: make as many groups as you need, then use keep-apart rules to separate your strongest students from each other so they land in different groups. Up to 40 pairs can be saved per class. For fully leveled groups, build them by hand and use this page for mixed groups.
Are student names saved or sent anywhere?
Names stay in this browser. The class list, the rules and the last set of groups are stored on this device so they are here when you come back, and nothing is sent to us. You can keep up to 12 classes of up to 80 names. On a shared computer, open Saved classes and press Delete this class when you finish.
Is this group generator for teachers only?
No. It was built as a group generator for teachers, which is why it remembers classes and rules, but any list works: players at a club night, staff at a workshop, cousins at a reunion. Type one entry per line under Your class, up to 80, and press Make groups.