These are the best performing state high schools in North Lanarkshire, 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.
The top performing school in North Lanarkshire this year in terms of academic attainment was Dalziel High School in Motherwell - which was ranked as the 28th best performing high school in Scotland. Our Lady's High School in Cumbernauld and St Maurice's High School in Cumbernauld were the other two high schools in North Lanarkshire that ranked within the top 50 best performing schools in the country.
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 North 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.
9. Taylor High School
Taylor High School in New Stevenston has a success rate of 44% of pupils gaining five or more Higher qualifications. Taylor High School was the 106th best performing high school in Scotland. | Taylor High School
10. Kilsyth Academy
Kilsyth Academy saw 42% of pupils leave school with five or more Highers. It ranks 10th in North Lanarkshire and 121st in Scotland. | Wikimedia Commons
11. Our Lady’s High School (Motherwell)
Our Lady’s High School in Motherwell saw 39% of pupils achieve at least five or more Higher qualifications. It ranks 11th in North Lanarkshire and 143rd in Scotland. | Our Lady’s High School
12. Airdrie Academy
Airdrie Academy saw 35% of pupils achieve a minimum of five Higher qualifications. It ranks 187th in Scotland and 12th in North Lanarkshire. | Wikipedia