The secondary schools that were among Scotland's top performers for 5 years running

Scotsman

07-07-2025

Achieving qualifications that open doors to new opportunities beyond high school is one of the most important parts of a student's time there.
The summer holidays are now in full swing for most schoolchildren across Scotland, with the final term of the 2024/25 school year ending around June 26. They're set to return to class for the start of the new, 2025/26 school year next month – around August 13.
For many young people, this will mean starting at a brand new school, or entering a new phase in their education. The transition to the upper secondary school years in particular can be a daunting one, with pupils beginning to work towards a number of sometimes high-stakes exams like their National 5s and Highers.
To mark the approach of the new school year, we're revisiting some of the country's highest achieving state-funded schools. We've based this on the Scottish Government's breadth and depth of information data, which covers school years up to 2022/23 currently. More specifically, we've looked at the percentage of each school's students gaining a pass in five or more Higher qualifications - as well as some supplementary information from independent data site Scotland's Data on a Map.
Using these figures, we've been able to compare the schools that came out on top in the last available year, as well as across the four before it (dating back to 2018/19). This certainly isn't the only measure of what makes a school a great place to learn, but it can help give parents some idea as to which of Scotland's schools have maintained consistently high levels of students securing these important qualifications in their time there.
While some high-achieving schools came close, only a handful achieved a place in the top 25 over all of the last five available years. Here they are:
1 . Jordanhill School
Jordanhill is an all-through school in Glasgow, funded directly by the Scottish government. It has been in 1st place for at least five years in a row, including in the most recently-available year (2022/23) - where 89% of its students attained five or more Highers. | Google Photo Sales
2 . Bearsden Academy
This is a state secondary school in Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire. Over the last five available years, it has an average place of about 3.4 in the top 25. In the 2022/23 school year, it was 2nd overall, with 81% of its students who sat their Higher exams attaining five or more of them. | Google Photo Sales
3 . Mearns Castle High School
Mearns Castle is a state secondary school in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire - just out of Glasgow. Over the last five available years, it has an average place of about 6.6 in the top 25. In the 2022/23 school year, it was 3rd overall, with 80% of its students attaining five or more Highers. | Google Photo Sales
4 . St Ninian's High School
St Ninian's is a Catholic state secondary school in Giffnock, East Renfrewshire. Over the last five available years, it has an average place of about 3.4 in the top 25. In the 2022/23 school year, it was 4th overall, with 79% of its students attaining five or more Highers. | Google Photo Sales
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