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.
Single U, open towards the board 7
Single U of 1818 seats
8 across and 6 deep: 5 desks down each side and 8 along the back. The smallest horseshoe here.
Single U of 2121 seats
9 across and 7 deep: 6 a side, 9 along the back. An odd class needs an odd back row.
Wide U of 2222 seats
12 across and only 6 deep, for a wide, shallow room. 12 of the 22 students face the board head-on.
Single U of 2424 seats
10 across and 8 deep. The floor inside is 8 desk-widths wide, enough to teach from inside the U.
Single U of 2727 seats
11 across and 9 deep. The students at the open ends sit the full width apart: check they can hear.
Deep U of 3030 seats
10 across and 11 deep, for a long room. 20 of the 30 students sit side-on to the board.
Single U of 3232 seats
12 across and 11 deep: 10 down each side and 12 along the back. The largest single U here.
Double horseshoes 3
Double U of 2424 seats
8 across and 5 deep: 16 desks outside and 8 inside, 3 rows shallower than the single U of 24.
Double U of 2828 seats
10 across and 5 deep: 18 outside and 10 inside. Trade inside and outside places when you change seats.
Double U of 3232 seats
10 across and 6 deep, the smallest room here for 32. The single U of 32 needs 12 by 11.
U with desks inside 2
U of 20 with a pod of 4 inside24 seats
8 across and 7 deep. The 4 desks pushed together inside are for a group you want close.
U of 19 with 2 pods of 4 inside27 seats
9 across and 6 deep: 27 seats on a U of 19's floor. For group work more than discussion.
Small and open horseshoes 4
2 horseshoes of 13 side by side26 seats
11 across and 5 deep in all. Two discussions can run at once; keep the walkway between the U's clear.
3 horseshoes of 824 seats
10 across and 7 deep: 2 U's in front, 1 behind the gap, where it sees the board between them.
U of 26 with open corners26 seats
12 across and 10 deep. Both back corners are walkways, so students can leave the U without crossing the front.
U of 28 with a center aisle28 seats
11 across and 10 deep. An aisle splits the back row, so you can walk in from the back.
How this list was compiled: Arrangements and desk plans drawn for this site. 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, and the 7 single U's match the chart's own U-shape desk for desk. The arithmetic quoted on the page (a U holds its 2 sides plus the back row, and the 2 sides are equal, so an odd total needs an odd back row) was worked out twice. No measurements, desk sizes or research findings are quoted. Licence: own work
How it works
A U shaped classroom seating arrangement puts desks along 3 sides with the open end towards the board. These 16 plans cover 18 to 32 desks: single U's, double horseshoes, U's with desks inside and small U's side by side.
Read the full guide
Which U shape seating arrangement fits your room
A single U takes the most floor: the single U of 24 is 10 desks across and 8 deep. The double U of 24 is 8 across and 5 deep, but its 8 inside students have classmates behind them.
Seat your class in the U
The chart opens as the deep U of 30 with a made-up class. Paste your class onto the chart and the U resizes to fit, with about a third of the class along the back. For a double U or another shape, press Seat my class like this under any plan below. The chart's own U leaves spare seats at the open ends of the arms; a double U leaves them at the back.
The chart counts 4 front seats in its own U: the 2 desks at the open end of each side.
Keep-apart pairs are kept out of touching desks, corners included, but can still sit face to face across the U.
Questions and answers
Is a horseshoe seating arrangement the same as a U-shape?
In a classroom, yes. Both names mean desks along 3 sides with the open end towards the board, and the 16 plans here use them for the same shape.
How many desks fit in a U shaped seating arrangement?
Add the 2 sides to the back row: 7 desks down each side and 10 along the back seat 24. The chart's own U stops at 34 seats, 11 down each side and 12 along the back. For a bigger class it offers rows.
What is a double horseshoe seating arrangement?
One U inside another, both open towards the board, with a walkway between them. It saves floor: the double U of 32 is 10 desks across and 6 deep, where the single U of 32 is 12 across and 11 deep.
What are the pros and cons of a U-shaped classroom?
Every desk faces the inside of the U, and you can reach any student from the middle, so it suits discussion and demonstrations. It costs floor, and students down the 2 sides sit side-on to the board; chevron rows keep everyone facing it.