A Tale of Two Cities
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Widely assigned — 3 curriculum lists
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12, with a Lexile measure of 1170L. It appears across 3 curriculum references, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where A Tale of Two Cities is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Lexile
- 1170L
- Grade range
- Grades 9–12
- Difficulty for grade
- Within the grade 9–10 band (1050–1335L)
- Age range
- Ages 14–18
- Pages
- 448
- Reading time
- about 8h 15m (est.)
- First published
- 1859
- Genre
- Historical Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780486406510
Reading difficulty: At 1170L, A Tale of Two Cities falls within the typical 1050–1335L text-complexity range for 9th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge.
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About this book
Set in London and Paris during the French Revolution, Dickens's novel braids the stories of Lucie Manette, Charles Darnay, and Sydney Carton — culminating in one of the most-quoted sacrifices in English literature. A staple of 9th-10th grade English courses and cited in Common Core Appendix B.
A book-club pick
Similar grade-level books
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald · 1070L
Of Mice and MenJohn Steinbeck · 630L
Lord of the FliesWilliam Golding · 770L
See all books like A Tale of Two Cities→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This Historical Fiction title, reads at high-school literary complexity, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 1850s; pairs with curriculum units on revolution and sacrifice; cited across 3 curriculum frameworks.
Themes
revolution · sacrifice · resurrection · class · injustice
Content notes
violence · execution
Common Sense Media recommends age 13+.
Where this book is assigned
AP English Literature & Composition
Common Core State Standards (ELA)
IB Diploma Programme — English A: Literature
- recommended·11th gradesource: Charles Dickens is on the IB Diploma Programme English A: Literature Prescribed Reading List (author-eligible; schools select from the full PRL). Verified via independent author-roster cross-reference, 2026-09-04.
- recommended·12th gradesource: Charles Dickens is on the IB Diploma Programme English A: Literature Prescribed Reading List (author-eligible; schools select from the full PRL). Verified via independent author-roster cross-reference, 2026-09-04.
A Tale of Two Cities by the numbers: pages, reading time and where it is listed, on Book Statistics.
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Common questions
- What grade level is A Tale of Two Cities?
- A Tale of Two Cities is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 9–12, with a Lexile measure of 1170L. It appears on 3 school reading lists, from grade 10 to grade 12. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- What is the Lexile level of A Tale of Two Cities?
- A Tale of Two Cities has a Lexile measure of 1170L 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 A Tale of Two Cities?
- It takes about 8h 15m to read A Tale of Two Cities (448 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 495 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- Is A Tale of Two Cities hard to read for 9th grade?
- At 1170L, A Tale of Two Cities falls within the typical 1050–1335L text-complexity range for 9th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately.
- What curricula assign A Tale of Two Cities?
- A Tale of Two Cities appears on reading lists for AP English Literature & Composition, Common Core State Standards (ELA), IB Diploma Programme — English A: Literature. 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
- 1170L — 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
- Not yet documented in a state-level framework on this site.
- Removal / banning records
- Documented as challenged or removed in 2 states per PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans — see the full banned & challenged books list.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.