Achieving qualifications that open doors to new opportunities beyond high school is one of the most important parts of a student’s time there.
Young people in South Lanarkshire are set to return to class for the start of the new, 2026/27 school year on Thursday 13 August.
For many young people, this will mean starting at a brand new school, or entering a new phase in their education. The transition to the upper secondary school years in particular can be a daunting one, with pupils beginning to work towards a number of sometimes high-stakes exams like their National 5s and Highers.
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.
Here are the 17 South Lanarkshire secondary schools among Scotland's top performers in 2026 - as new school year nears.
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
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
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
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