Heart of Darkness
by Joseph Conrad
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Assigned across 2 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).
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is assigned in US schools at grades 11–12, with a Lexile measure of 1070L. It appears across 2 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 Heart of Darkness is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Lexile
- 1070L
- Grade range
- Grades 11–12
- Difficulty for grade
- Below the grade 11–CCR band (1185–1385L)
- Age range
- Ages 16–18
- Pages
- 96
- Reading time
- about 1h 45m (est.)
- First published
- 1899
- Genre
- Novella
- ISBN-13
- 9780486264646
Reading difficulty: At 1070L, Heart of Darkness reads below the typical 1185–1385L text-complexity range for 11th 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
Charles Marlow recounts his journey up the Congo River as a riverboat captain for a Belgian trading company in search of the ivory-trader Kurtz. A cornerstone of 11th-12th grade modernism units and AP English Literature — also frequently taught alongside Achebe's critical response.
Similar grade-level books
The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald · 1070L
Of Mice and MenJohn Steinbeck · 630L
Lord of the FliesWilliam Golding · 770L
The Catcher in the RyeJ.D. Salinger · 790L
See all books like Heart of Darkness→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This Novella title, reads at young-adult to upper-middle-grade complexity, typically at grades 11–12. Written in the 1890s; pairs with curriculum units on colonialism and madness; cited across 2 curriculum frameworks.
Themes
colonialism · madness · imperialism · moral darkness
Content notes
colonial violence · racism (historical text)
Common Sense Media recommends age 15+.
Where this book is assigned
AP English Literature & Composition
- recommended·11th gradesource: AP Lit representative text
- recommended·12th gradesource: AP Lit representative text
IB Diploma Programme — English A: Literature
- recommended·11th gradesource: Joseph Conrad 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: Joseph Conrad 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.
Heart of Darkness by the numbers: pages, reading time and where it is listed, on Book Statistics.
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Common questions
- What grade level is Heart of Darkness?
- Heart of Darkness is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 11–12, with a Lexile measure of 1070L. It appears on 2 school reading lists. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- What is the Lexile level of Heart of Darkness?
- Heart of Darkness has a Lexile measure of 1070L 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 Heart of Darkness?
- It takes about 1h 45m to read Heart of Darkness (96 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 105 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- Is Heart of Darkness hard to read for 11th grade?
- At 1070L, Heart of Darkness reads below the typical 1185–1385L text-complexity range for 11th 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 Heart of Darkness?
- Heart of Darkness appears on reading lists for AP English Literature & Composition, 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
- 1070L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
- Grade band
- Grades 11–12 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 2 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 1 state 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.