Achieving qualifications that open doors to new opportunities beyond high school is one of the most important parts of a student’s time there.
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 2024 – 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 their local council, or whether or not the school is serving an underprivileged and disadvantaged area within the local authority.
Throughout our coverage, we use ‘Highers’ as a term to mean both Highers and equivalent qualifications at SCQF level 6 and above, such as Skills for Work Higher awards.
Here are the 13 secondary schools in and around Glasgow among Scotland's top performers in 2025.
1. Jordanhill School
At the top of the list is Jordanhill, an all-through school in Glasgow funded directly by the Scottish Government. It is generally a high performer, frequently coming out on top in secondary school league tables. In the 2023/24 school year, an astounding 94% of its students attained five or more Highers, according to official data. | Google Images
2. Mearns Castle High School
Next up is Mearns Castle, a secondary school in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire – just out of Glasgow. In the 2023/24 school year, 83% of its students attained five or more Highers. | Google
3. Woodfarm High School
This is a secondary school in Woodfarm, East Renfrewshire. In the 2023/24 school year, it too had 83% of its students attain five or more Highers. | Google
4. Douglas Academy
Douglas Academy is a secondary school in Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire. In the 2023/24 school year, 81% of its students attained five or more Highers. | Google Maps