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Edinburgh's 11 top secondaries where pupils earned at least 5 Highers
Today (August 5) is SQA results day, with pupils and students across the whole of Scotland receiving the long-awaited outcomes of their Nationals and Highers exams in the mail throughout the morning. To mark the occasion, we've taken a look at the state-funded secondary schools within the City of Edinburgh council area that had particularly high rates of pupils earning at least five of these important qualifications, according to the most up-to-date data (currently for the 2023/24 school year).
We based this on the Scottish Government's recently updated breadth and depth of qualifications data, specifically the proportion of each school's candidates that attained five or more. This is a fantastic achievement not only for pupils and their families, but for the school community as a whole. And while these rates are far from the only way to measure school success - they're still worth celebrating as an outward sign of what kind of learning environment it provides.
Here were the 11 schools in and around Edinburgh that topped the list:
1 . Boroughmuir High School
At the top of the list is Boroughmuir, a secondary school in the Fountainbridge area. In the 2023/24 school year, an astounding 74% of its pupils attained five or more Highers. | Google Photo Sales
2 . James Gillespie's High School
Next up is James Gillespie's, a secondary school in the Marchmont area. In the 2023/24 school year, 68% of its pupils attained five or more Highers. | Google Photo Sales
3 . St Thomas Of Aquin's High School
St Thomas Of Aquin's is a Catholic secondary school in the Lauriston area. In the 2023/24 school year, 63% of its pupils attained five or more Highers. | Google Photo Sales
4 . Craigmount High School
Craigmount is a secondary school in the East Craigs area. In the 2023/24 school year, 61% of its pupils attained five or more Highers. | Google Photo Sales
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