Edinburgh secondary schools: Edinburgh's 21 best and worst performing high schools, according to exam results

We’ve looked at the best performing state high schools across Edinburgh, according to the latest data available. Each secondary school has been measured on the percentage of pupils who received the Scottish Government’s educational “gold standard” of five Highers, or their equivalent, in 2022 – based on data published by the Scottish Government on its website.

Exam league tables don’t rank schools from ‘best to worst’ as such, as they do not take into account factors such as teaching quality, the number of pupils with special educational needs or whether the school serves a disadvantaged area. The Scottish Government says presenting exam performance figures in league tables is “misleading” as it overlooks such aspects, but the Evening News has decided to publish them in order to provide parents with important information they can consider alongside inspection reports and other ways to assess the quality of local schools.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “We recognise there needs to be a more consistent and coherent approach to tackling any unwanted variation in performance which is why the Scottish Government is working in partnership with Education Scotland, COSLA and ADES to develop a joint approach to improving educational outcomes and experiences for children and young people.”

Take a look through our photo gallery to see 21 Edinburgh high schools ranked from best to worst, according to exam results.

No data was published for Castlebrae Community High School or Wester Hailes High School.