4.NBT.6: Divide Up to Four Digits by One Digit
Also written as 4.NBT.B.6 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NBT.B.6 · Cluster: Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.
The Official Wording
Find whole-number quotients and remainders with up to four-digit dividends and one-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.
Common Core State Standards, Grade 4, Number & Operations in Base Ten · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What 4.NBT.6 Means in Plain English
Fourth graders divide numbers up to 9,999 by a one-digit number, and the answer may not come out even. For 1,895 ÷ 6 they take away big, friendly chunks: 300 sixes, then 10, then 5. That gives 315 with 5 left over.
They show the thinking with equations, arrays or an area model, and check by multiplying back. Long division isn’t expected yet. In 5th grade the divisor grows to two digits (5.NBT.6), and the standard algorithm arrives in 6th grade (6.NS.2).
4.NBT.6 I Can Statements
- I can divide a number up to four digits by one digit.
- I can find a quotient by taking away place-value chunks.
- I can check a division by multiplying and adding the remainder.
4.NBT.6 Worked Example
A food-drive division worked by partial quotients, the place-value strategy most 4th grade classrooms lean on.
Our school collected 1,895 cans for the food drive and shares them equally among 6 shelters. How many cans does each shelter get, and how many are left?
- Estimate first. 6 × 300 = 1,800, so each shelter gets a little more than 300.about 300
- Take out 300 sixes.1,895 − 1,800 = 95
- Take out 10 more sixes.95 − 60 = 35
- Take out 5 more sixes. Only 5 cans are left, fewer than 6, so stop.35 − 30 = 5
- Add the chunks for the quotient. The 5 cans that couldn’t be shared are the remainder.300 + 10 + 5 = 315 R5
Check it: Multiply back and add the remainder: 6 × 315 = 1,890, and 1,890 + 5 = 1,895.
Common Mistakes with 4.NBT.6
A remainder bigger than the divisor
1,895 ÷ 6 = 314 R11
Try this: Compare the remainder with the divisor every time. If 11 cans are left, there are enough for one more round of 6.
Dropping a zero in the quotient
4,236 ÷ 4 = 159
Try this: Estimate before dividing: 4,000 ÷ 4 = 1,000, so the answer needs four digits. The right quotient is 1,059.
Reporting the last chunk as the answer
1,895 ÷ 6 answered as 5 R5
Try this: Circle each chunk as it is taken out, then add the circled numbers at the end: 300 + 10 + 5 = 315.
Where 4.NBT.6 Fits
Practice 4.NBT.6
Quick Check
- 2,746 ÷ 4
- 856 ÷ 8
- A farmer packs 1,000 apples into bags of 7. How many bags are full, and how many apples are left?