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.

21. Brannock High School
Brannock High School in Newarthill saw 26% of pupils achieve a minimum of five Higher qualifications. It ranks 281st in Scotland and 21st in North Lanarkshire. | Wikipedia

22. Calderhead High School
Calderhead High School in Shotts saw 18% of pupils achieve at least five or more Higher qualifications. It ranks 22nd in North Lanarkshire and 316th in Scotland. | Google Maps

23. Coltness High School
Completing the list is Coltness High School in Wishaw. 18% of pupils achieve a minimum of five Highers before leaving school. It ranked 23rd in North Lanarkshire and 316th in Scotland. | Wikipedia


