The 17 South Lanarkshire secondary schools among Scotland's top performers in 2026

By Declan McConville

Digital Reporter

Published 15th Jul 2026, 06:30 BST

These South Lanarkshire high schools have maintained consistently high levels of student achievement.

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 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 South Lanarkshire 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 17 South Lanarkshire secondary schools among Scotland's top performers in 2026.

Strathaven Academy tops the list in South Lanarkshire with 61% of pupils achieving at least five Highers. They rank as the 33rd top performing secondary school in Scotland.

1. Strathaven Academy

Strathaven Academy tops the list in South Lanarkshire with 61% of pupils achieving at least five Highers. They rank as the 33rd top performing secondary school in Scotland. | Google Maps

Trinity High School in Rutherglen has a success rate of 60% of pupils gaining five or more Higher qualifications. Trinity was the 36th best performing high school in Scotland.

2. Trinity High School

Trinity High School in Rutherglen has a success rate of 60% of pupils gaining five or more Higher qualifications. Trinity was the 36th best performing high school in Scotland. | Google Maps

The first entry on the list from East Kilbride is St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School with 58% of pupils leaving school with five or more Highers. The school is ranked as Scotland's 40th best performing high school.

3. St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School

The first entry on the list from East Kilbride is St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School with 58% of pupils leaving school with five or more Highers. The school is ranked as Scotland's 40th best performing high school. | Google Maps

St John Ogilvie High School is the fourth highest ranked school in South Lanarkshire with 55% of pupils achieving at least five Higher qualifications. They rank 53rd in Scotland.

4. St John Ogilvie High School

St John Ogilvie High School is the fourth highest ranked school in South Lanarkshire with 55% of pupils achieving at least five Higher qualifications. They rank 53rd in Scotland. | Google Maps

Scottish Government Schools High School South Lanarkshire Data