These are the best performing state high schools in South Lanarkshire, according to the latest data available.
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 2023 – based on data published by the Scottish Government on its own website.
The top performing school in South Lanarkshire this year in terms of academic attainment was Strathaven Academy - which was ranked as the 26th best performing high school in Scotland. St Andrew's and St Bride's High School in East Kilbride was the other high school in South Lanarkshire which 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 South 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.
You can find the full list of Glasgow secondary school rankings here and North Lanarkshire.
13. Calderglen High School
The final school on the list in East Kilbride is Calderglen High School where 36% of pupils leave school with five or more Highers. It ranks 13th in South Lanarkshire and 155th in Scotland. | Google Maps
14. Lesmahagow High School
Lesmahagow High School join Calderglen High School with 36% of pupils achieving at least five or more Higher qualifications. It ranks 14th in South Lanarkshire and 156th in Scotland. | Google Maps
15. Carluke High School
Carluke High School had 35% of their pupils achieve at least five or more Highers. It ranked 15th in South Lanarkshire and 169th in Scotland. | Google Maps
16. Lanark Grammar School
Lanark Grammar School has a success rate of 33% of pupils achieving five or more Higher qualifications. It ranked 16th in South Lanarkshire and 192nd in Scotland. | Google Maps