Earning a diverse array of Highers is a great way for secondary school pupils to set themselves up for future success.
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:
5. The Royal High School
The Royal is a secondary school in the Davidson’s Mains area. In the 2023/24 school year, 58% of its pupils attained five or more Highers. | Google
6. Currie Community High School
This is a secondary school in Currie, on the city’s southwest fringe. In the 2023/24 school year, 54% of its pupils attained five or more Highers. | Google
7. Broughton High School
This is a secondary school in the Inverleith area. In the 2023/24 school year, 52% of its pupils attained five or more Highers. | Google
8. Balerno Community High School
As its name might suggest, this is a secondary school in Balerno, towards Edinburgh’s southwest. In the 2023/24 school year, 50% of its pupils attained five or more Highers. | Google