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Scotsman
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
The top ten best secondary schools in Scotland 2025 according to new Sunday Times guide
A new 'league table' of Scottish secondary schools has been published, with the west coast dominating the top 10. Jordanhill School tops the table The grant-funded Jordanhill School, the only mainstream school in Scotland which is not publicly-funded, extends its lead in the newspaper's rankings with 94 per cent of pupils leaving the school with five highers or equivalents. John Anderson, rector of Jordanhill School, is quoted by the paper saying: 'We are delighted for our pupils who have worked incredibly hard to achieve such well-deserved success. 'We are very fortunate to benefit from a fantastic team of teaching and support staff, and our parents are great supporters of the school.' 1 . Jordanhill School Jordanhill tops the list Photo: Google Maps Photo Sales 2 . Mearns Castle High School Mearns Castle High School in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, took second spot Photo: contributed Photo Sales 3 . Woodfarm High School Woodfarm High School is in Thornliebank, East Renfrewshire, finished in third. Photo: Amber Allott Photo Sales 4 . St Ninian's High School St Ninian's High School, East Renfrewshire, came fourth Photo: contributed Photo Sales
Daily Record
27-04-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Scotland's best secondary schools ranked in 2025 league table as full list revealed
Scotland's best secondary schools have been unveiled in the Times and Sunday Times Scotland High School League Table . And the top spot may come as no surprise to those who have been following the league table for years. Jordanhill School has been named the best high school in the country for the ninth year in a row, according to the ranking. The west end of Glasgow institution has extended its lead in the line-up for nearly a decade on the trot. A record 94% of pupils leave the school with the Scottish Government's 'gold standard' of five Highers or equivalents. The school is directly funded by the Scottish Government and is independently governed. This is different from other schools which are funded by councils. Jordanhill surpassed its closest rival by 10 points. The ranking also revealed that Greater Glasgow has the highest concentration of elite-performing schools in Scotland, accounting for eight of the top ten places in The Sunday Times Secondary School League Table. John Anderson, rector of Jordanhill School, told the Sunday Times : 'We are delighted for our pupils who have worked incredibly hard to achieve such well-deserved success. 'We are very fortunate to benefit from a fantastic team of teaching and support staff, and our parents are great supporters of the school.' East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire have reinforced their position as Scotland's education powerhouses. They occupy seven of the remaining top ten spaces, with more than 77% of pupils scoring the gold standard. Mearns Castle, Woodfarm, St Ninian's and Williamwood in East Renfrewshire, as well as Douglas Academy, Bearsden Academy and Boclair Academy in East Dunbartonshire, join Jordanhill among the top eight schools in Scotland . The top eight schools lie on a 19-mile route stretching across the River Clyde. Jordanhill sits within the Glasgow City boundaries but is more than 30 percentage points clear of Hyndland Secondary, the top performing council run school in Glasgow, which did not reach the top 20 this year. Conversely, Drumchapel High, just a 10 minute drive from Jordanhill , sits near the bottom 20, with just 14 per cent of pupils attaining the gold standard, throwing up Greater Glasgow's extremes of wealth and deprivation. Elsewhere, Aberdeen Grammar School has shot into the top ten, rising to ninth place from 15th in 2024, with a ten point rise in gold standard pupils to 74 per cent. Over on the east coast, Boroughmuir Academy in Edinburgh props up the top ten, down from fifth place, despite dropping just 2 points to 74 per cent gold standard. Wester Hailes High School in Edinburgh was among Scotland's weakest performing schools, scoring less than five per cent for the third year running. Keir Bloomer, chair of the Commission on School Reform think tank, said: 'Scotland needs to focus on raising standards for all, rather than simply on narrowing the attainment gap... 'Jordanhill may or may not be a better school than Wester Hailes but it certainly has a more privileged intake. It does benefit from the freedom of action that its form of governance allows and we need to look again at the way that schools are run. This includes ensuring that smaller and less affluent schools get the support they require.' Langholm Academy, near Gretna at the border with England, is Scotland's most improved school, with 40 per cent scoring the gold standard, up from less than 5 per cent last year. 1. Jordanhill School, Glasgow 2. Mearns Castle High School, East Renfrewshire 3. Woodfarm High School, East Renfrewshire 4. St Ninian's High School, East Renfrewshire 5. Douglas Academy, East Dunbartonshire 6. Bearsden Academy, East Dunbartonshire 7. Boclair Academy, East Dunbartonshire 8. Williamwood High School, East Renfrewshire 9. Aberdeen Grammar School, Aberdeen 10. Boroughmuir High School, Edinburgh The full list can be viewed here .
Edinburgh Live
27-04-2025
- General
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh best and worst high schools ranked in new Sunday Times league table
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Get the latest Edinburgh Live breaking news on WhatsApp Edinburgh's best and worst secondary schools have been revealed in the 2025 league tables. The figures, which have been published by the Sunday Times ranks the schools based on the percentage of pupils who managed to achieve the 'gold standard' of five Highers or equivalents in 2024 and 2025. Boroughmuir is the only school from the capital to secure a top ten place with the high school landing landing tenth on the list - down from fifth place. The next performing school was James Gillespie's High School at 17th place, followed by St Thomas Of Aquin's High School ranking in 24th. Craigmount High School came in at 27th and The Royal High School sits at 31st. However at the other side of the table, Wester Hailes High School was ranked at 346th - not far behind Castlebrae Community High School at 345th and Craigroyston Community High School at 333nd. Greater Glasgow boasts the highest number of top-performing schools with eight of the top ten dotted across the region. Jordanhill School in Glasgow's West End took to the top spot for the ninth year running. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages. John Anderson, rector of Jordanhill School, said: 'We are delighted for our pupils who have worked incredibly hard to achieve such well-deserved success. 'We are very fortunate to benefit from a fantastic team of teaching and support staff, and our parents are great supporters of the school.' The top 10 schools in Edinburgh are: Boroughmuir High School James Gillespie's High School St Thomas Of Aquin's High School Craigmount High School The Royal High School Currie Community High School Broughton High School Balerno Community High School Queensferry Community High School Trinity Academy The top ten Scottish secondary schools are: Jordanhill School, Glasgow Mearns Castle High School, East Renfrewshire Woodfarm High School, East Renfrewshire St Ninian's High School, East Renfrewshire Douglas Academy, East Dunbartonshire Bearsden Academy, East Dunbartonshire Boclair Academy, East Dunbartonshire Williamwood High School, East Renfrewshire Aberdeen Grammar School, Aberdeen Boroughmuir High School, Edinburgh To view the league tables for 2025, you can visit the Times site here.
Glasgow Times
27-04-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow's Jordanhill School named best in Scotland
Figures, published by The Sunday Times, rank high schools based on the percentage of pupils who achieved the gold standard of five Highers or equivalents in 2024 and 2025. (Image: Image of Jordanhill School in Glasgow) Jordanhill School, in the West End of the city, has taken home the top spot for the eighth year in a row. The school, which is directly funded by the Scottish Government and is independently governed, as opposed to other schools which are funded by councils, surpassed its closest rival by 10 points and achieved a record 94 per cent of gold standard students in 2025 - according to The Scottish Sun. Schools in East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire nabbed 10 spots within the top 20 list, with Strathaven Academy in South Lanarkshire coming 20th on the list. Mearns Castle High School in East Renfrewshire came second and Woodfarm High School in East Renfrewshire came in at third. The attainment gap between the country's richest and poorest pupils remains wide. For example, Drumchapel High sits at 334th place, just two miles from Bearsden Academy, where 78 per cent of students attained the gold standard. Keir Bloomer, chair of the Commission on School Reform think tank, said: 'Scotland needs to focus on raising standards for all, rather than simply on narrowing the attainment gap. 'In any case, tables such as this say nothing about the gap or, indeed, the quality of schools. 'They simply confirm the huge impact of socioeconomic circumstances on attainment. 'Jordanhill may or may not be a better school than Wester Hailes but it certainly has a more privileged intake. It does benefit from the freedom of action that its form of governance allows and we need to look again at the way that schools are run. This includes ensuring that smaller and less affluent schools get the support they require.' A Scottish government spokesman added: 'The Scottish government is providing direct investment in Scotland's education system and is providing £4.3 billion in this year's budget. This includes continued funding in the £1 billion Scottish Attainment Challenge as part of our key priority to close the poverty-related attainment gap. 'As a result of sustained investment, Scotland has record level of literacy and numeracy in schools, the lowest attainment gap since records began for literacy in primary schools and record number of young people entering work, training, college and university.'
Scottish Sun
27-04-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
Scotland's best and worst secondary schools revealed in 2025 league table
Scroll down to find the top 20 best and worst high schools in Scotland TOP MARKS Scotland's best and worst secondary schools revealed in 2025 league table Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SCOTLAND'S best and worst secondary schools have been revealed in the 2025 league tables. The figures, published by The Sunday Times, rank high schools based on the percentage of pupils who achieved the 'gold standard' of five Highers or equivalents in 2024 and 2025. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Scotland's best and worst schools have been revealed Credit: Alamy 2 Jordanhill School topped the list for the ninth consecutive year Credit: John Kirkby - The Sun Glasgow Greater Glasgow continues to boast the highest number of top-performing schools - with eight of the top ten dotted across the region. And for the ninth year running, Jordanhill School in Glasgow's West End, took the top gong. The publicly funded secondary surpassed its closest rival by 10 points and achieved a record 94 per cent of gold standard students in 2025. John Anderson, rector of Jordanhill School, said: 'We are delighted for our pupils who have worked incredibly hard to achieve such well-deserved success. 'We are very fortunate to benefit from a fantastic team of teaching and support staff, and our parents are great supporters of the school.' Schools in East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire nabbed seven of the top ten spots - with more than 77 per cent of pupils attaining the gold standard. In second place was Mearns Castle High School in East Renfrewshire with an impressive 80 per cent of pupils achieving the gold standard in 2024 and 83 per cent in 2024. And Woodfarm High School in East Renfrewshire came in at third with 73 per cent in 2024 and 83 per cent in 2025. Schools like Bearsden Academy and Douglas Academy also continue to excel, while Aberdeen Grammar School and Boroughmuir Academy in Edinburgh round out the top ten. All 125,000 Scottish Higher grades which were marked down are overturned and replaced with teachers' marks But Edinburgh's state schools underperform relative to the city's wealth, partly due to the prevalence of private schools. The attainment gap between the country's richest and poorest pupils remains as wide as it was a decade ago - despite government pledges to address it. Schools in more affluent areas continue to achieve far higher results than those situated in more deprived regions. Drumchapel High sits at 334th place with just 14 per cent of pupils achieving the gold standard. The school is located less than two miles from Bearsden Academy, where 78 per cent of students attained the gold standard. Largest improvements LANGHOLM Academy near Gretna was Scotland's most improved school this year. In 2024, Langholm Academy ranked 334th, with fewer than 5 per cent of its pupils achieving the gold standard. By 2025, it had leapt to 128th place, with 40 per cent of pupils reaching the benchmark. Similarly, Plockton High School in the Highlands saw remarkable progress, climbing from 224th to 26th place as its gold standard attainment rose from 30 per cent to 62 per cent. Mallaig High School also made significant strides, jumping from 203rd place in 2024 with 32 per cent of pupils achieving the gold standard, to 37th place in 2025, with 56 per cent. Other schools among the top ten most improved include Thurso High School, Rothesay Academy, Eyemouth High School, Kemnay Academy, Bertha Park High School, and Eastbank Academy. Meanwhile, Jordanhill is funded by the government and is the only school in Scotland to be independently governed, rather than being controlled through the local authority. But with it significantly outperforming nearby council-run schools with similar affluent catchments, its nine-year stint in the top spot has sparked calls for reform. Keir Bloomer, chair of the Commission on School Reform think tank, said: 'Scotland needs to focus on raising standards for all, rather than simply on narrowing the attainment gap. 'In any case, tables such as this say nothing about the gap or, indeed, the quality of schools. 'They simply confirm the huge impact of socioeconomic circumstances on attainment. 'Jordanhill may or may not be a better school than Wester Hailes but it certainly has a more privileged intake. It does benefit from the freedom of action that its form of governance allows and we need to look again at the way that schools are run. This includes ensuring that smaller and less affluent schools get the support they require.' Over recent years, there Scottish education system has faced setbacks with declining exam results, international assessments showing long-term deterioration and concerns over falling standards. Education secretary Jenny Gilruth last year said exam results were "not good enough" as marks fell below pre-pandemic levels. A Scottish government spokesman said: 'The Scottish government is providing direct investment in Scotland's education system and is providing £4.3 billion in this year's budget. This includes continued funding in the £1 billion Scottish Attainment Challenge as part of our key priority to close the poverty-related attainment gap. 'As a result of sustained investment, Scotland has record level of literacy and numeracy in schools, the lowest attainment gap since records began for literacy in primary schools and record number of young people entering work, training, college and university.' The High School League Table 2025 Top 20 Jordanhill School - Grant aided (Glasgow) Mearns Castle High School (East Renfrewshire) Woodfarm High School (East Renfrewshire) St Ninian's High School (East Renfrewshire) Douglas Academy (East Dunbartonshire) Bearsden Academy (East Dunbartonshire) Boclair Academy (East Dunbartonshire) Williamwood High School (East Renfrewshire) Aberdeen Grammar School (Aberdeen City) Boroughmuir High School (City of Edinburgh) Cults Academy (Aberdeen City) Bishopbriggs Academy (East Dunbartonshire) Dunblane High School (Stirling) North Berwick High School (East Lothian) Lenzie Academy (East Dunbartonshire) Linlithgow Academy (West Lothian) James Gillespie's High School (City of Edinburgh) Eastwood High School (East Renfrewshire) Gryffe High School (Renfrewshire) Strathaven Academy (South Lanarkshire) Bottom 20 Whalsay School Stronsay Junior High School Dalry Secondary School Kinlochbervie High School (Highlands) Tiree High School (Argyll & Bute) Sandwick Junior High School (Shetland Islands) Mid Yell Junior High School (Shetland Islands) Baltasound Junior High School (Shetland Islands) Aith Junior High School (Shetland Islands) Sanday Community School (Orkney Islands) Westray Junior High School (Orkney Islands) Wester Hailes High School (City of Edinburgh) Castlebrae Community High School (City of Edinburgh) Pitlochry High School (Perth & Kinross) Kilchuimen Academy (Highland) Tobermory High School (Argyll & Bute) The Community School of Auchterarder (Perth & Kinross) Northfield Academy (Aberdeen City) Inverness High School (Highland) Ivergordon Academy (Highland)
