These are the best performing state high schools in South 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 South Lanarkshire this year in terms of academic attainment was Strathaven Academy - which was ranked as the 33rd best performing high school in Scotland. Trinity High School in Rutherglen and St Andrew's and St Bride's High School in East Kilbride were the other two high schools in South 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 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.
1. Strathaven Academy
Strathaven Academy tops the list in South Lanarkshire with 61% of pupils achieving at least five Highers. They rank as the 33rd top performing secondary school in Scotland. | Google Maps
2. Trinity High School
Trinity High School in Rutherglen has a success rate of 60% of pupils gaining five or more Higher qualifications. Trinity was the 36th best performing high school in Scotland. | Google Maps
3. St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School
The first entry on the list from East Kilbride is St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School with 58% of pupils leaving school with five or more Highers. The school is ranked as Scotland's 40th best performing high school. | Google Maps
4. St John Ogilvie High School
St John Ogilvie High School is the fourth highest ranked school in South Lanarkshire with 55% of pupils achieving at least five Higher qualifications. They rank 53rd in Scotland. | Google Maps