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.
17. Clyde Valley High School
Clyde Valley High School in Wishaw saw 29% of pupils gain a minimum of five Highers. It ranks 17th in North Lanarkshire and joint 243rd in Scotland. | Clyde Valley High School
18. Braidhurst High School
Braidhurst High School in Motherwell has a success rate of 28% of pupils achieving five or more Higher qualifications. It ranked 18th in North Lanarkshire and 258th in Scotland. | Braidhurst High School
19. Coatbridge High School
Coatbridge High School saw 27% of pupils achieve at least five or more Higher qualifications. It ranks 19th in North Lanarkshire and 267th in Scotland. | Wikimedia Commons
20. Bellshill Academy
Bellshill Academy saw 26% of pupils gain a minimum of five Highers. It ranks 20th in North Lanarkshire and 281st in Scotland. | Wikimedia Commons