What does statistical mean here?

A statistical question anticipates variation: it asks about a group, and the answers can differ from one member to the next. That is the rule printed in the Remember box on the sheet, and it matches how 6th grade introduces the idea in standard 6.SP.A.1.

How does my child answer? Is it just yes or no?

Each question comes with explanations to choose from, and your child picks the one that says correctly whether the answers vary. So an answer reads like this: statistical, answers can vary across a group; or not statistical, one fixed result for one case. The key lists the correct choice for all five.

Why does this sit under mean, median, mode and range?

Because it is the first step of that unit. Before measuring center or spread, a child has to know which questions produce data worth measuring. A question with one answer has no distribution to summarize. This sheet is the warm-up; the rest of the page does the measuring.

6th grade statistical questions

6th grade statistical questions worksheets

Statistical questions worksheets for 6th grade print five everyday questions and ask your child to sort them: statistical or not. Each comes with explanations to choose from, so the answer has to carry its reason. How many points did the Tigers score on Friday has one fixed answer. What shoe sizes do the orchestra students wear can vary. That difference is the whole sheet.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 6.SP.A.1.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of problems you'll get

Classify each question. Choose the explanation that correctly describes whether its answers vary.

What are the masses of the backpacks carried by students in Room 12? Classify the question, then choose the explanation that uses the defining role of variability.
Answer: Statistical: answers can vary across a group.
How many pages are in the library's copy of The Secret Garden? Classify the question, then choose the explanation that uses the defining role of variability.
Answer: Not statistical: one fixed result for one case.
How many minutes do students in sixth grade spend using screens each day? Classify the question, then choose the explanation that uses the defining role of variability.
Answer: Statistical: answers can vary across a group.

Every print pulls a fresh set of problems at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.

What's on each sheet

Statistical questions. Classify each question. Choose the explanation that correctly describes whether its answers vary. 5 problems per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key after the problems.

This sheet is one of the versions on the 6th grade mean, median, mode & range page, with its own difficulty choices and its own answer key.

How to teach this

Have your child ask the same thing of every question: how many answers would I get back? One number from one case, like Elena's reading minutes last Tuesday, is not statistical. A pile of numbers that can differ, like everyone's shoe size, is. The trap is a question that sounds big but is still about one case. The Tigers' score on Friday feels like data because it is about a team, but it is one game with one result. Ask who or what is being asked about, and how many of them there are. The sheet gives explanations to choose from, so once your child has decided, have them read each explanation and reject the ones that describe the wrong situation. Reading the rejected ones out loud is where the definition settles in.

Watch for: Kids decide a question is statistical because it is about a group or a team. The test is whether the answers can vary. One game's score has one result even though a whole team played it. Kids think a question with a number in the answer is automatically statistical. Elena's reading minutes last Tuesday is a number, but one fixed one. Statistical questions collect many answers that can differ.

Common questions about 6th grade statistical questions

What does statistical mean here?: A statistical question anticipates variation: it asks about a group, and the answers can differ from one member to the next. That is the rule printed in the Remember box on the sheet, and it matches how 6th grade introduces the idea in standard 6.SP.A.1.
How does my child answer? Is it just yes or no?: Each question comes with explanations to choose from, and your child picks the one that says correctly whether the answers vary. So an answer reads like this: statistical, answers can vary across a group; or not statistical, one fixed result for one case. The key lists the correct choice for all five.
Why does this sit under mean, median, mode and range?: Because it is the first step of that unit. Before measuring center or spread, a child has to know which questions produce data worth measuring. A question with one answer has no distribution to summarize. This sheet is the warm-up; the rest of the page does the measuring.

Related worksheets

Ready to print one?

Need a fresh set of problems? Print another copy.

Aligned to Common Core 6.SP.A.1. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated September 2026.

Spot a mistake on this sheet? Tell us. · About these worksheets