What respiratory rate is acceptable for a 6y.o. trachee at rest (seated)?work of breathing always fairly high. best usu 24 but not lately.

Depends on baseline: Everyone has a baseline rate, which his rate is on a day to day basis, especially when not ill. A 6 year old can be between about 15 and 30. (if the child is always healthy, any baseline rate in that range should be ok). However, if a child's baseline increases a lot, over a few days to months, one needs to ask why, such as infection, heart disese, tummy distention, low o2, high co2, etc...