These are the best performing state high schools in East Renfrewshire, according to the latest data available just released by the Scottish Government.
Each school 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.
Following Jordanhill School being the top ranked school in Scotland, three council schools in East Renfrewshire — St Ninian’s High, Mearns Castle High and Williamwood High — were the next highest in the league table, achieving scores of 83 per cent, 82 per cent and 82 per cent respectively.
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 Renfrewshire 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. St Ninian’s High School
St Ninian’s High School in Giffnock tops the list in East Renfrewshire with 83% of pupils achieving at least five Highers. They rank as the second top performing secondary school in Scotland. | Local Library
2. Mearns Castle High School
Mearns Castle High School in Newton Mearns has a success rate of 82% of pupils gaining five or more Higher qualifications. Mearns Castle High School was the third best performing high school in Scotland. | Google Maps
3. Williamwood High School
Williamwood High School is the third highest ranked school in East Renfrewshire with 82% of pupils achieving at least five Higher qualifications. They rank joint third in Scotland. | Google Maps
4. Woodfarm High School
Woodfarm High School saw 74% of their pupils achieve at least five Higher qualifications. It ranks fourth in East Renfrewshire and tenth in Scotland. | Google Maps