Setting up a class
Make one gradebook per class and per grading period. Type the class the way it appears on your timetable, add the term, and paste the roster into the names field, one student per line, in the order you call the roll. The names print down the left of the grid and fill the first column of the spreadsheet, with a row number next to each so you can refer to "row 14" when you mark anonymously. Leave the names empty if the roster is still changing and write them in by hand later.
Pick the number of assignment columns from the number of marks you expect in the period, plus a few spare. Ten columns suit a quarter with weekly quizzes; twenty cover a semester with homework checks. The page is landscape by default so that even twenty columns stay wide enough for a two-digit score.
Filling in the header and the points possible
On the printed grid, each assignment has a small numbered cell at the top of its column to write a short name in, like "Quiz 3" or "Essay". Under the header runs the Points possible row: write the maximum for each assignment there before you enter any scores, and the percentages later make sense. In the spreadsheet the header cells say Assignment 1 to 20; overwrite them with your own names and type the maximum into the Points possible row.
Keep the scores in points, not in percentages or letters. Points are what the formulas need, and they are what you will add up at the end of the term. A column for a letter grade can go into the notes you keep elsewhere, or into a spare assignment column that you leave out of the points possible row.
How the averages are calculated
| Cell | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Average (per student) | The mean of the points in that row, over the assignments that have a score; blank cells are skipped |
| Percent (per student) | Points earned divided by the points possible of the same assignments, as a percentage |
| Class average (per assignment) | The mean of the scores in that column, again skipping blanks |
| Points possible, Average column | The mean of the maximums, so you can compare it with a student's average at a glance |
Percent is the figure to look at when assignments have different maximums, because a 100-point test then weighs four times as much as a 25-point quiz. If a student was excused from an assignment, leave the cell empty rather than typing a zero; a zero counts as a score and pulls both figures down. The grade calculator does the same weighted sum for a single student when you want to check a row by hand or explain it to a parent.
Working on paper first
Many teachers mark on the printed grid in class and move the numbers into the spreadsheet once a week. The alternating row shading makes it easy to follow a student across twenty columns, and the Average column at the right gives you a place for a running figure at the end of each month. Write scores in pencil until the assignment is handed back, so a regrade does not leave a mess. For a quick mean of a column, the average calculator takes a pasted list of numbers and gives the mean, median and range.
At the end of the term
Before you turn percentages into grades, check the Points possible row once more, since a missing maximum leaves a column out of every Percent. Then sort or read the Percent column and apply your grading scale. If a student asks what they need on the final to reach a certain grade, the final grade calculator answers that from their current percentage and the weight of the final, and the GPA calculator turns letter grades from several classes into a grade point average.
Keep the finished gradebook, on paper or as a file, for as long as your school requires; a grade dispute months later is much easier with the row of scores in front of you.
Related templates
The attendance sheet uses the same roster layout with a column per day, and the lesson plan template covers the planning side of the same class.
Frequently asked questions
Is the gradebook template free?
Yes. Download the spreadsheet or the PDF for every class you teach, as often as you like. No account, no email address, no watermark. One small line with our web address sits at the bottom of each sheet and page.
How are Average and Percent worked out?
Average is the plain average of the points a student earned, over the assignments that have a number; blank cells are skipped. Percent divides the points the student earned by the points possible of those same assignments, so a student who has not handed in the last test is not punished for it yet. Both stay blank until the row has a score.
What if assignments have different weights?
Give them different points possible. A test worth 100 points counts four times as much in Percent as a quiz worth 25, because Percent compares total points earned with total points possible. Average treats every assignment the same, so look at Percent when weights differ.
Can I add more students or assignments later?
Yes. The spreadsheet has at least 25 student rows; to add more, insert rows above the Class average row and copy the Average and Percent formulas down. For more assignments, download again with 15 or 20 columns, or insert columns inside the assignment block and extend the Points possible row.
Why are some characters missing from my names in the PDF?
The PDF uses a basic font that covers English and most Western European letters, but no emoji and no other scripts such as Greek, Cyrillic or Chinese. Those characters are left out, a few rare accented letters print without the accent, and a note under the field tells you when that happens. The spreadsheet keeps your names exactly as typed.
Should I print landscape or portrait?
Landscape gives each assignment column enough width to write a two-digit score comfortably, even with 20 columns. Portrait fits more rows at a readable size and suits 10 assignments with a long class list. Both work on US Letter and A4; the preview shows the exact page.