The 8 Edinburgh high schools among Scotland’s top performers
These Edinburgh secondary schools have maintained consistently high levels of student achievement.
Each of these schools has been measured on the percentage of pupils who received the Scottish Government’s educational “gold standard” of five Highers, or their equivalent, in 2025 – based on data published by the Scottish Government on its own website.
These Higher result tables do not reflect schools or rank them in terms of ‘best to worst’ as that would fail to take into account factors such as the support offered to children with complex needs, the effort and quality of the teaching staff, working conditions for said staff, quality of the student experience, the funding the school receives from The City of Edinburgh Council, or whether or not the school is serving an underprivileged and disadvantaged area within the local authority.
Here are the eight Edinburgh high schools among Scotland's top performers in 2026 based on the latest available data.
Boroughmuir High School
Boroughmuir High School tops the list in Edinburgh with 76% of pupils achieving at least five or more Highers. They rank as the eighth best performing secondary school in Scotland.
Boroughmuir High SchoolCraigmount High School
Craigmount High School is the second best performing school in Edinburgh and has a success rate of 73% of pupils gaining five or more Higher qualifications. Craigmount High School was the 13th best performing high school in Scotland.
Craigmount High SchoolJames Gillespie's High School
James Gillespie's High School is the third best performing high school in the city with 71% of pupils leaving school with five or more Highers. The school is ranked as Scotland's 17th best performing high school.
James Gillespie's High SchoolSt Thomas Of Aquin's
St Thomas Of Aquin's is the fourth highest ranked school in Edinburgh with 69% of pupils achieving at least five Higher qualifications. They rank 20th in Scotland.
Google MapsBalerno High School
Balerno High School saw 65% of their pupils achieve at least five Higher qualifications. It ranks fifth in Edinburgh and 26th in Scotland.
Google MapsFirrhill High School
Firrhill High School is the sixth best performing high school in Edinburgh as 57% of pupils gained at leave five Highers or more in 2025. Overall, Firrhill High School ranks as the 43rd best performing school in the country.
Firrhill High SchoolPortobello High School
Portobello High School is the seventh best performing school in Edinburgh as 57% of pupils gained at leave five Highers or more in 2025. Overall, Portobello High School ranks as the 45th best performing school in the country.
Portobello High SchoolCurrie Community High School
Currie Community High School saw 56% of their pupils achieve at least five or more Highers. They are the eighth best performing school in the city and ranked 48th in Scotland.
Project Scotland