The 8 North Lanarkshire high schools among Scotland’s top performers
These North Lanarkshire secondary schools have maintained consistently high levels of student achievement.
Each of these North Lanarkshire 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 North Lanarkshire Council, or whether or not the school is serving an underprivileged and disadvantaged area within the local authority.
Here are the eight North Lanarkshire high schools among Scotland's top performers in 2026 based on the latest available data.
Dalziel High School
Dalziel High School tops the list in North Lanarkshire with 62% of pupils achieving at least five or more Highers. They rank as the 28th best performing secondary school in Scotland.
Google MapsOur Lady's High School (Cumbernauld)
Our Lady's High School in Cumbernauld is the second best performing school in North Lanarkshire and has a success rate of 58% of pupils gaining five or more Higher qualifications. Our Lady's High School was the 39th best performing high school in Scotland.
Google MapsSt Maurice’s High School
St Maurice’s High School is the third best performing high school in North Lanarkshire with 56% of pupils leaving school with five or more Highers. The school is ranked as Scotland's 48th best performing high school.
Google MapsGreenfaulds High School
Greenfaulds High School is the fourth highest ranked school in North Lanarkshire with 50% of pupils achieving at least five Higher qualifications. They rank as the 67th best performing high school in Scotland.
North Lanarkshire CouncilSt Ambrose High School
St Ambrose High School in the Townhead area of Coatbridge saw 50% of their pupils achieve at least five Higher qualifications. It ranks fifth in North Lanarkshire and joint 67th in Scotland.
St Ambrose High SchoolChryston High School
Chryston High School is the sixth best performing secondary school in North Lanarkshire as 47% of pupils gained at leave five Highers or more in 2025. Overall, Chryston High School ranks as the 85th best performing school in the country.
Google MapsSt Margaret’s High School
St Margaret’s High School in Airdrie saw 47% of pupils achieve five or more Highers, placing the school seventh in North Lanarkshire and 85th across Scotland.
Google MapsSt Aidan’s High School
St Aidan’s High School ranked eighth among secondary schools in North Lanarkshire and 99th across Scotland, with 45% of pupils achieving five or more Highers.
St Aidan’s High School