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.
Rows facing the board 5
4 rows of 520 seats
5 across and 4 deep. Every desk faces the board and the back row is only 4 back.
5 rows of 420 seats
4 across and 5 deep, the narrowest rows here. It frees a strip of floor down one side.
2 rows of 1020 seats
10 across and 2 deep: every student sits in the first or second row. It needs a long board wall.
3 rows of 7 with 1 spare seat21 seats
7 across and 3 deep. 20 does not make 3 equal rows, so 1 back-row seat stays empty.
4 single-file columns of 520 seats
7 across and 5 deep. The test-day plan: an aisle on both sides of every desk.
Partner desks: pairs and threes 3
10 pairs in 2 columns20 seats
5 across and 5 deep with 1 center aisle. 20 is even, so every student has a partner.
10 pairs, 3 across20 seats
8 across and 4 deep: a row shallower than 10 pairs in 2 columns, with 2 aisles to walk.
6 threes and 1 pair20 seats
7 across and 4 deep. 6 threes seat 18, and the last 2 share a pair in the back row.
Pods and groups 4
5 pods of 4 side by side20 seats
14 across and 2 deep, so every pod is a front pod. Few rooms are that wide.
5 pods of 4 like the 5 on a die20 seats
8 across and 6 deep: a pod towards each corner and the fifth in the center, next to all 4.
4 groups of 520 seats
5 across and 7 deep. 1 table fewer than pods of 4, but each fifth student has nobody opposite.
4 threes and 2 pods of 420 seats
11 across and 5 deep. Threes leave 2 students over, so 2 groups become pods of 4: 12 and 8.
U-shapes 3
Single U of 2020 seats
8 across and 7 deep: 6 down each side and 8 along the back, one ring with no second row.
Wide U of 2020 seats
10 across and 6 deep. Half the class faces the board head-on, for a room wider than it is deep.
Double U of 20, 14 outside and 6 inside20 seats
8 across and only 4 deep, where the single U is 7, but the 6 inside have classmates behind them.
Face to face and wall-facing 3
2 teams of 10, face to face20 seats
7 across and 5 deep. 20 halves evenly, so a debate or review game starts with equal sides.
Hollow square of 2020 seats
6 across and 6 deep, for class meetings. The front 6 sit with their backs to the board.
Wall-facing workstations for 2020 seats
12 across and 5 deep. Desks face 3 walls, so you can read all 20 screens from one spot.
How this list was compiled: Arrangements and desk plans drawn for this site; nothing here is copied from another list. Every plan was checked on 2026-09-19: the rows of a plan are the same length, the desks add up to the seat count given (20 everywhere, 21 for the plan that names its spare seat), desks that belong to different pods or groups never touch, corners included, and no drawing repeats one on the pages for 25 or 30 students or on the U-shape, pod, circle or chevron pages. The 8 plans that open as one of the chart's own rooms (rows, pods of 4 or a U) were compared cell by cell with the rooms the chart draws. The arithmetic quoted (20 divides evenly by 2, 4, 5 and 10; threes leave 2 over) was worked out twice. No measurements, desk sizes or research findings are quoted. Licence: own work
How it works
These 18 desk arrangement ideas for 20 students are drawn with the board at the top. 20 splits evenly into pairs, fours, fives and tens, so most plans leave no desk over.
Read the full guide
What comes out even and what does not
10 pairs, 5 pods of 4, 4 groups of 5 and 2 teams of 10 all come out even. Only threes leave 2 students over: choose 6 threes and 1 pair, or 4 threes and 2 pods of 4. 3 rows of 7 leaves 1 back-row seat empty.
Seat your class in a plan
The chart opens on 10 pairs in 2 columns with a made-up class of 20. Every plan below has a Seat my class like this button: the chart takes that shape and keeps your names. Print the chart gives 1 landscape page on Letter or A4.
Pods of 4 draws 6 pods, the last one empty. For exactly 5, press Seat my class like this under either plan of 5 pods.
Many keep-apart pairs? A desk in the single U touches 3 others at most, against 8 inside 4 rows of 5.
Questions and answers
How do you arrange 20 desks in a small classroom?
Measure the floor in desk-widths, then match a footprint. A narrow room takes 5 rows of 4 or 10 pairs in 2 columns, both under 6 desks across. A shallow one takes 2 rows of 10, or the double U at 4 deep.
Can you make a U-shape with 20 desks?
Yes, in one ring. The single U of 20 has 6 desks down each side and 8 along the back, 8 across and 7 deep. The wide U is 10 by 6. The double U is only 4 deep, with 6 students inside the ring.
How do I arrange 20 desks for a test?
Use 4 single-file columns of 5: an aisle on both sides of every desk, 7 squares across and 5 deep. Press Seat my class like this under that plan. On the chart a kept-apart pair never sits one behind the other.
What if my class is 19, 21 or 22?
With 19 names, 1 back seat stays empty. With 21, the opening chart offers to add 1 desk or change to 3 rows of 7 with 1 spare seat. From 22, it offers more desks or rows; see also the plans for 25 students.