Government and public statistics
Handwriting Speeds
Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland, n.d.
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- A school district resource that compiles published handwriting speed norms for copying and composing by grade.
- How much weight it carries
- A secondary compilation of studies from 1990 to 1998 on children, not adults. Useful for the shape of the curve, not for adult norms.
Facts taken from this source
- In a 1990 study, fourth grade students with learning disabilities composing by hand averaged 4 to 5 words per minute, well below their copying speed.
“the average compositional rate of 4th grade students with learning disabilities using handwriting was 4 to 5 words per minute” (Handwriting speeds for compositional tasks)
- Compiled norms show handwriting copying rates of about 5 words per minute in first grade, rising to about 16 by the end of middle school.
“By the end of middle school, word per minute rates for copying using handwriting rise to about 16 WPM.” (Handwriting speeds for copying tasks)