A random group generator with conditions
Most random group generators are a digital hat: names go in, groups come out, and if two students who can't work together land in the same group, you're fixing it by hand. ClassRows lets you set a few conditions first, then randomizes everything else.
Your rules follow the class. Rules are saved with the class, not with a single set of groups. Set them once and they apply every time you make groups, all year, and to the seating chart for the same class too. No retyping, and no remembering who can't sit with whom.
- Keep apart. Choose students who shouldn't be in the same group. They'll always land in different groups.
- Keep together. Choose two or more students who should share a group, such as lab partners or a student who translates for a classmate.
- Lock a student to a group. Need a specific student in Group 1 because that group works near your desk? Lock them there, and the rest of the class is grouped around them.
You'll always know when a rule can't be met. Some combinations are impossible, for example keeping five students apart with only four groups. ClassRows still makes the groups, then shows a conflict badge naming the rule it couldn't satisfy and the students involved. Nothing fails silently.
Every split starts from a fully random arrangement, created by your browser's built-in cryptographic random number generator, so list order and the alphabet never decide who works with whom. ClassRows then adjusts the groups only as much as your rules require.
Groups by size or by number of groups
You can split a class two ways:
- By group size: "groups of 4." Best when the activity needs a specific number of people, such as lab stations built for four.
- By number of groups: "6 groups." Best when the room or the task has a fixed number of stations, tables, or topics.
Classes rarely divide evenly, so ClassRows asks what to do with the extra students:
- Make some groups bigger. 26 students in groups of 4 becomes four groups of 4 and two groups of 5.
- Make one smaller group. 26 students in groups of 4 becomes six groups of 4 and one group of 2.
Group sizes from 2 to 12 are supported, for classes of up to 60 students. Partners are just groups of 2: set the size to 2 for instant random partners.
Show groups on your projector
The fastest way to get students into groups is to put the groups on the board. Present mode shows every group in large, high-contrast cards that are readable from the back of the room, with nothing else on the screen.
- Click Present and the groups fill the screen.
- Rename groups before you present, such as "Table 1" or "Station A", or after a topic, so students know exactly where to go.
- Generate again from Present mode if you want to shuffle in front of the class. Seeing the shuffle happen is the easiest way to show students that groups weren't hand-picked.
Prefer paper? Print the groups, or download a PDF or PNG for your slides or sub plans.
Use the same class list for groups and seating
In ClassRows, groups and seating charts share one class: the same roster, the same rules. Once a class is set up, making groups takes a few seconds, and you never paste the same list twice.
- Switch between Chart and Groups at the top of the editor.
- Keep-apart and keep-together rules apply to both. Set them once for seating and they hold for groups too.
- Save your groups. ClassRows keeps your three most recent sets of groups for each class, so you can bring back last week's project teams in one click.
Moving desks for group work too? Pods of 4 and clusters of 6 are the most common setups. See diagrams in our guide to classroom seating arrangements. To seat the whole class, build a classroom seating chart from the same roster.
Ideas for using random groups in class
Random groups work best when the task is designed for them. A few teacher-tested uses:
- Stations and rotations. Make one group per station and rename each group after its station.
- Lab teams. Use keep-apart rules for safety, and keep-together for students who need a steady partner.
- Jigsaw activities. Make "expert" groups by topic, then generate new mixed groups to teach each other.
- Peer review. Random partners mean students get feedback from someone new, not just their friends.
- Teams for games and debates. Use it as a random team generator: split the class into two or four teams in one click for a review game, a debate, or a class competition.
Random or teacher-chosen groups? Random groups build community, feel fair to students, and take no prep. Teacher-chosen groups let you balance skills and personalities, but they take time and students often guess the reasoning. Random groups with a few conditions give you most of both: you control the handful of pairings that matter, and chance handles the rest.
Your class lists stay on your device
ClassRows runs in your browser. Your class lists and groups are saved on your device, not on our servers, unless you turn on sync. No account is needed, and analytics never receive student names. Read more about student data privacy.