I created this page to answer a question I hear from educators and parents all the time: How do you determine a book’s reading level, and how do you find books that are appropriate for a child’s age and interests?
This resource provides clear, practical guidance for families and educators. Knowing a book’s reading level can be helpful—but leveled books should only be used once a child has mastered decoding and can accurately read unfamiliar words.
I recommend leveled texts only for readers who have cracked the reading code, meaning they have strong phonics knowledge and do not rely on guessing or pictures to read words.
Table of Contents
- Why Knowing the Book’s Reading Level Matters
- Important Notes on Levels and the Science of Reading
- How to Find a Book’s Reading Level
- Common Readability Tests Explained
- Lexile Levels: Another Measurement Tool
- Additional Resources
Why Knowing a Book’s Reading Level Matters
For children who already decode accurately, reading levels can support thoughtful book selection and reading growth.
Reading Enjoyment and Confidence
Choosing books that align with a fluent reader’s ability helps maintain motivation and confidence without unnecessary frustration.
Monitoring Reading Progress
Reading levels can be one tool educators use to observe growth over time—after foundational skills are secure.
Matching Books to Skill Level
Leveled texts can help match reading material to comprehension and fluency needs, but they should not be used to teach decoding.
Avoiding Frustration or Boredom
Books that are too difficult may overwhelm readers, while books that are too easy may reduce engagement.
Matching Content to Maturity
Reading level alone does not reflect subject matter or emotional readiness. A child may be able to read a text fluently but not be developmentally prepared for its themes.
Important Note on Reading Levels and the Science of Reading
Most reading levels are determined using readability formulas that analyze sentence length, vocabulary, and text complexity. They do not measure a child’s ability to decode words.
Beginning and struggling readers benefit most from:
- Explicit, systematic phonics instruction
- Decodable texts aligned to taught phonics patterns
Leveled books are not recommended for students who have not yet mastered decoding, as they may encourage guessing rather than accurate word reading.
How to Find a Book’s Reading Level
Once a child is a fluent decoder, you can use the following tools to find book and text levels:
1. Book Leveling Websites
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Booksource—Enter a book title to find guided reading levels
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Scholastic Book Wizard—Helpful for locating leveled texts
- Book Finder
2. Book Leveling Apps
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Level It Books – Scan or search titles to find levels
3. Readability Formula Tools
If a book is not listed:
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Copy a 100-word sample into Readable or Readability Formulas
4. Website Readability Levels
Readability Levels
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To determine the readability of a website or online article:
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Enter the URL into a readability analyzer
This is especially useful when assigning online texts.
5. Fry Readability Graph (Old-Fashioned Method)
If digital tools fail, use the Fry Graph to estimate grade level based on sentence length and syllables.
Common Readability Tests Explained
Some widely used readability formulas include
- Best Readability Formula and Score to Use for Ranking in Google
- Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
- Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease Formula
- Gunning Fog Index
- Smog Index
- Fry Readability Graph
- Automated Readability Index ARI
- Spache Readability Formula
- New Dale Chall Formula
- Powers-Sumner-Kearl Readability Formula
- Raygor Readability Graph
- Coleman Liau Index
- Lix Readability Formula
- Lensear Write Readability Formula
- FORCAST Readability Formula
- IELTS Test
- CEFR Test
- Cloze Deletion Test
- Linsear Write Readability Formula
- Rix Readability Formula
- Bormuth Readability Index
These formulas estimate text difficulty, not decoding ability.
Lexile Levels: Another Measurement Tool
You can also find reading levels using Lexile.com:
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Click Lexile Tools
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Select Find a Book
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Enter a book title to see the Lexile level
Many results also suggest vocabulary words to teach.
You can analyze your own text by pasting it into the Lexile Analyzer. Read about what the Lexile levels mean.
Typical Lexile Reader Measures by Grade
| Grade | Typical Lexile Range (25th–75th Percentile) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Up to 280L |
| 2 | 230L–580L |
| 3 | 360L–720L |
| 4 | 480L–830L |
| 5 | 620L–950L |
| 6 | 690L–1020L |
| 7 | 780L–1090L |
| 8 | 820L–1140L |
| 9 | 880L–1170L |
| 10 | 920L–1200L |
| 11 | 940L–1210L |
| 12 | 950L–1220L |
Additional Resources
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Visit my Free Online Books for Kids page for leveled text options
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Use the Books by Guided Reading Level menu for fluent readers
- Check out how long it will take to read a certain book: Reading Length.
This page was last updated on January 1, 2026.
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