Lord of the Flies
by William Golding
Widely assigned — 3 curriculum lists · 2 states
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12, with a Lexile measure of 770L. It appears across 3 curriculum references and 2 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Lord of the Flies is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
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- Lexile
- 770L
- Grade range
- Grades 9–12
- Difficulty for grade
- Below the grade 9–10 band (1050–1335L)
- Age range
- Ages 14–18
- Pages
- 224
- Reading time
- about 4h 5m (est.)
- First published
- 1954
- Genre
- Allegory
- ISBN-13
- 9780399501487
Reading difficulty: At 770L, Lord of the Flies reads below the typical 1050–1335L text-complexity range for 9th grade (Common Core Appendix A). It is an accessible read for the grade — often assigned for its themes and discussion value rather than for reading challenge.
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About this book
A group of British boys stranded on an uninhabited island attempt to govern themselves with disastrous results. Nobel laureate William Golding's 1954 allegory is a foundational text of 9th-10th grade English curricula across the United States and is cited in Common Core Appendix B as a grade 9-10 exemplar.
Similar grade-level books
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald · 1070L
Of Mice and MenJohn Steinbeck · 630L
The Catcher in the RyeJ.D. Salinger · 790L
See all books like Lord of the Flies→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This Allegory title, reads at middle-grade prose complexity, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 1950s; pairs with curriculum units on civilization vs savagery and loss of innocence; cited across 3 curriculum frameworks.
Themes
civilization vs savagery · loss of innocence · power · human nature
Content notes
violence · death of children · mob psychology
Common Sense Media recommends age 13+.
Where this book is assigned
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Common questions
- What grade level is Lord of the Flies?
- Lord of the Flies is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 9–12, with a Lexile measure of 770L. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- What is the Lexile level of Lord of the Flies?
- Lord of the Flies has a Lexile measure of 770L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
- How long does it take to read Lord of the Flies?
- It takes about 4h 5m to read Lord of the Flies (224 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 245 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- Is Lord of the Flies hard to read for 9th grade?
- At 770L, Lord of the Flies reads below the typical 1050–1335L text-complexity range for 9th grade (Common Core Appendix A). It is an accessible read for the grade — often assigned for its themes and discussion value rather than for reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately.
- What curricula assign Lord of the Flies?
- Lord of the Flies appears on reading lists for AP English Literature & Composition, Cambridge IGCSE English Literature (0475), Common Core State Standards (ELA). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Why this book is on this list
How we classifyHide
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- 770L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
- Grade band
- Grades 9–12 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 3 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Cited in 2 states ELA frameworks or DOE list (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.