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 East Dunbartonshire 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.
1. Douglas Academy
Douglas Academy in Milngavie tops the list in East Dunbartonshire with 81% of pupils achieving at least five Highers. They rank as the 5th best performing secondary school in Scotland. Photo: Amber Allott
2. Bearsden Academy
Bearsden Academy was the second highest ranked secondary school in East Dunbartonshire with 78% of pupils leaving school with five or more Highers. The school is ranked as Scotland's 6th best performing school. Photo: Google Maps
3. Boclair Academy
Boclair Academy in Bearsden completes the top three best performing schools in East Dunbartonshire as 77% of pupils gained at leave five Highers or more in 2024. Overall, Boclair Academy ranks as the 7th best performing school in the country. | Google Maps
4. Bishopbriggs Academy
Bishopbriggs Academy has a success rate of 71% of pupils gaining five or more Higher qualifications. Bishopbriggs Academy was the 12th best performing high school in Scotland. | Google