Cover of Watership Down

Watership Down

by Richard Adams

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Assigned across 1 curriculum list · 1 state

Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).

On reading-award lists:California Young Reader Medal

Watership Down by Richard Adams is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12. It appears across 1 curriculum reference and 1 state, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where Watership Down is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Grade range
Grades 9–12
Age range
Ages 14–17
Pages
478
Reading time
about 8h 45m (est.)
First published
1972
Genre
Fantasy
ISBN-13
9780380395866

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

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Similar grade-level books

See all books like Watership Down→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Fantasy title, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 1970s; pairs with curriculum units on rabbits and adventure and adventurers; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

rabbits · adventure and adventurers · open library staff picks · survival

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Watership Down?
Watership Down is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 9–12. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
How long does it take to read Watership Down?
It takes about 8h 45m to read Watership Down (478 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 525 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Watership Down?
Watership Down appears on reading lists for California Young Reader Medal. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Watership Down banned in schools?
Watership Down does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.
What themes does Watership Down explore?
Central themes in Watership Down include rabbits, adventure and adventurers, open library staff picks, survival. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.

Why this book is on this list

How we classify

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure
Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
Grade band
Grades 9–12 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 1 state ELA framework or DOE list (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: book-club.

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