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Lexile Bands Explained

Remember, you know your students best! 😉

For middle school, 1000L–1100L is generally on the high end, not wrong, but not for all middle schoolers.

Here’s the typical breakdown used by many districts and publishers:

• Grades 6–8 (middle school overall): ~925L–1185L

• Grade 6: ~925L–1070L

• Grade 7: ~970L–1120L

• Grade 8: ~1010L–1185L

So what that means in practice:

• 1000L–1100L

  • ✅ Totally appropriate for 7th–8th grade

  • ⚠️ Likely too challenging for many 6th graders

  • ❌ Not a good “accessible-for-all-middle-school” range

How to decide what to include

Ask what you’re optimizing for:

• “General middle school audience” → aim wider, like 900L–1050L

• “On-grade / rigorous middle school” → 1000L–1100L works

• “Upper middle school” or “college-ready prep” → 1050L–1150L

Practical tip

If this is for curriculum, assessments, or published materials, a range is safer than a single band. Something like:

Texts range from 950L–1100L to support diverse readers.