About the Group / Team Maker
Picking groups out loud in front of the class always ends up the same way: the same friends cluster together, somebody's left out, and you're doing the math on group sizes on the fly. This tool takes a pasted roster and splits it into groups that are as even as possible, with a one-click reshuffle if the first split doesn't feel right.
It also handles the two requests that come up in almost every class: keeping two particular students apart, and keeping two specific students together, like lab partners who actually work well or a student who needs to stay near a peer helper.
How to use it in your classroom
- Paste your roster into the names box, one student per line — copy straight from a gradebook or attendance list.
- Choose how you want to split the class: by a set number of groups, or by a target number of students per group.
- If the class doesn't divide evenly, pick whether the extra students should be spread across the first few groups or collected into one smaller leftover group.
- Optionally list any pairs who should stay together or stay apart, one pair per line.
- Click "Make groups" to generate the split, then use the rename field on any group card if you want section names instead of "Group 1, Group 2."
- Click "Copy as text" to paste the finished groups into a slide, sub note, or chat message.
Tips from the classroom
- For lab partners or project teams, list pairs that work well together under "keep together" so you don't have to manually rebuild a group every time you reshuffle.
- Use the "keep apart" list for the one or two pairings you already know will be a distraction — you don't need to list every combination, just the ones that matter.
- On a sub day, generate the groups ahead of time, rename them by table number or color, and copy the text straight into your sub notes so there's no ambiguity about who goes where.
- If a group split leaves one tiny leftover group, switch the leftover toggle to spread students across the first groups instead — that's usually the more usable option for partner work.
- Reshuffle as many times as you need before committing — nothing is final until you've copied or written down the result.
Frequently asked questions
Can I control exactly how many groups I get?
Yes. Switch to "number of groups" mode and enter the count directly, or use "students per group" if you care more about group size than how many groups that creates.
What happens when the class doesn't divide evenly?
You choose: either the extra students get spread across the first groups so sizes only ever differ by one, or they're collected into a separate, smaller leftover group.
Will it always keep my "keep apart" pairs separated?
It treats those pairs as a strong preference and satisfies them whenever there's room to do so. With a lot of overlapping constraints and small groups, it's possible not every pairing can be honored at once, so it's worth a quick glance at the result before sharing it.
Can I rename the groups after they're made?
Yes. Click into any group's name field on the result card and type whatever you want — table names, colors, or project titles all work, and the copied text will use your custom names.