List of private schools in Scotland

The following is a partial list of currently operating private schools in Scotland.

Many of the schools are perceived to be heavily influenced by the culture, practices and ethos of English independent, or "public", schools. Author James Robertson described Glenalmond College as "a Scottish boarding school modeled on the English public school system".^[1] The perceived English influence in many of these schools was such that in 1887 one author referred to them as "English schools".^[2] 43% of Scottish independent secondary schools offer boarding as an option, (especially for pupils from the western isles attending mainland schools) although there is more of a trend to attend as a day pupil compared to in England.^[3]

There are 91 independent schools across Scotland^[4] of which 71 are members of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS). According to the SCIS, its members educate around 29,000 pupils in Scotland representing around 4.2% of the school age population in Scotland.^[5] The figure is significantly higher in Edinburgh, with around 1 in 4 pupils educated at an independent school, the highest proportion in the UK.^[6] This figure has risen to 30 per cent in recent years.^[7]

Scottish students from independent schools are over-represented at the four ancient universities of Scotland. They represented 26% of the student body at the four institutions in 2014/15 with 71% in total receiving an offer of admission at one of the four ancient universities compared to only 29% of state-school entrants.^[8]

List of schools

North

The "Auld Hoose" of Robert Gordon's College

• Albyn School, Aberdeen
• Gordonstoun, Elgin
• International School of Aberdeen, Aberdeen
• Lathallan School, Johnshaven
• Drumduan School, Forres
• Robert Gordon's College, Aberdeen
• St Margaret's School for Girls, Aberdeen

Central & Tayside

Playfair Building, Dollar Academy

The High School of Dundee

• Ardvreck School, Crieff
• Craigclowan Preparatory School, Perth
• Dollar Academy
• Fairview International School, Bridge of Allan
• Glenalmond College, Glenalmond
• The High School of Dundee
• Morrison's Academy, Crieff
• Queen Victoria School, Dunblane
• Strathallan School, Forgandenny

Fife

• St Leonards School, St. Andrews

Edinburgh City Region

Fettes College

George Heriot's School

• Basil Paterson Middle School
• Belhaven Hill School, Dunbar
• Cargilfield Preparatory School
• Clifton Hall School
• The Compass School, Haddington
• The Edinburgh Academy
• Edinburgh Montessori Arts School
• Edinburgh Steiner School
• Erskine Stewart's Melville Schools
  • Erskine Stewart's Melville Junior School
  • The Mary Erskine School
  • Stewart's Melville College
• Fettes College
• George Heriot's School
• George Watson's College
• Loretto School, Musselburgh
• Mannafields Christian School
• Merchiston Castle School
• Regius School
• St. George's School
• St. Mary's Music School

Glasgow City Region

• Al Qalam School, Paisley
• Belmont House School, Newton Mearns
• Fernhill School, Rutherglen
• The Glasgow Academy, Kelvinbridge
• Hamilton College
• The High School of Glasgow, Anniesland
• Hutchesons' Grammar School, Pollokshields
• Kelvinside Academy, Kelvinside
• Lomond School, Helensburgh
• St. Aloysius' College Garnethill
• St. Columba's School, Kilmacolm

Ayrshire

• Wellington School, Ayr

Borders

• St. Mary's School, Melrose

Additional Support Needs / Complex Additional Needs Schools

• Ardfern School, Johnstone
• Closeburn House School, Dumfries
• Common Thread Schools, Dumfries
• Corseford School, Kilbarchan
• Donaldson's School, Linlithgow
• CrossReach Erskine Campus,Erskine
• Dunedin School, Edinburgh
• East Park School, Maryhill
• Falkland House School, Falkland
• Good Shepherd Centre, Bishopton
• Harmeny School, Balerno
• Hillside School, Aberdour
• Kibble Education & Care Centre, Paisley
• Maben House School Lochmaben
• Mirren Park School, Paisley
• Moore House Academy, Bathgate
• Moore House Academy, Butterstone, Dunkeld
• New Struan School, Alloa
• Ochil Tower School, Auchterarder
• The Royal Blind School, Edinburgh
• Scottish Centre For Children With Motor Impairments, Craighalbert Centre, Cumbernauld
• Seamab School, Rumbling Bridge
• Stanmore House School, Lanark
• Starley Hall School, Burntisland
• Troup House School, Gamrie

Figures

Fees

The schools are ranked here by day school pupil fees for 2023/24 and boarding fees are given where applicable. In cases where the 2023/24 fees are not yet available, this is indicated next to the figures. Membership of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) is indicated,^[9] as well as the curriculum followed by the school: English (i.e. GCSEs, A-levels), Scottish (i.e. Standard Grades/Intermediates, Highers, Advanced Highers), Mixed English and Scottish, or International Baccalaureate (IB).

School	Day fees	Boarder fees	Curriculum	HMC[10]
Fettes College[11]	£37,050	£44,100	English/IB	Yes
Gordonstoun School[12]	£35,601	£48,990	English	Yes
Merchiston Castle School[13]	£29,250	£40,320	English	Yes
Strathallan School[14]	£27,360	£41,829	English/Scottish	Yes
Glenalmond College[15]	£25,275 (22/23)	£41,145 (22/23)	English	Yes
Loretto School[16]	£25,155 (22/23)	£36,945 (22/23)	English	Yes
Lathallan School[17]	£23,304	£31,950	Scottish	No
St Leonards School, St Andrews[18]	£18,765	£44,232	IB	Yes
St. George's School, Edinburgh[19]	£18,324	£37,575	English/Scottish	No
St. Mary's School, Melrose[20]	£17,940 (22/23)	£20,640 (22/23)	Scottish	No
Morrison's Academy, Crieff[21]	£17,575	n/a	Scottish	Yes
Edinburgh Academy[22]	£17,541	n/a	English/Scottish	Yes
The High School of Glasgow[23]	£16,959	n/a	Scottish	Yes
Dollar Academy[24]	£16,677	£38,601	Scottish	Yes
St Margaret's School for Girls, Aberdeen[25]	£16,632	n/a	Scottish	No
International School Aberdeen[26]	£16,535	n/a	IB	No
George Heriot's[27]	£16,440	n/a	Scottish	Yes
Clifton Hall School, Edinburgh[28]	£16,380	n/a	Scottish	No
Hutchesons' Grammar School[29]	£16,177	n/a	Scottish	Yes
The High School of Dundee[30]	£16,050	n/a	Scottish	Yes
Mary Erskine School, Edinburgh[31]	£16,041	£32,190	Scottish	No
Stewart's Melville College, Edinburgh				Yes
Albyn School, Aberdeen[32]	£15,995	n/a	Scottish	Yes
George Watson's College, Edinburgh[33]	£15,951	n/a	Scottish/IB	Yes
Kelvinside Academy[34]	£15,951	n/a	Scottish	Yes
Robert Gordon's College, Aberdeen[35]	£15,845	n/a	Scottish	Yes
Wellington School, Ayr[36]	£15,645	n/a	Scottish	No
St. Columba's, Kilmacolm[37]	£15,610	n/a	Scottish	Yes
Belmont House School[38]	£15,492	n/a	Scottish	No
St. Aloysius' College[39]	£14,976	n/a	Scottish	Yes
Lomond School[40]	£14,925	£36,200	Scottish	Yes
The Glasgow Academy[41]	£14,850	n/a	Scottish	Yes
Hamilton College[42]	£13,875	n/a	Scottish	No
Edinburgh Steiner School[43]	£11,208 (22/23)	n/a	Scottish	No
Drumduan School[44]	£10,347	n/a	Scottish	No

Exam results

Scottish Exams
The following table ranks the schools by performance in the 2008 round of Scottish Qualifications Authority examinations according to the percentage of A/B grades achieved at Higher level according to The Times newspaper. The percentage of 1 grades at Standard Grade and A grades at Intermediate 2 are also provided.^[45] As indicated above, some independent schools in Scotland follow the English curriculum or offer the International Baccalaureate.

Higher and Standard Grade/Intermediate 2 Results
Here, schools following the Scottish exam curriculum are ranked according to the percentage of Highers achieved in 2009 at A/B, as recorded in The Times.

	School	A/B Higher (%)	1/A Standard Grade/Int 2 (%)
1	George Heriot's School	79.7	71.3
2	St George's School, Edinburgh	77.9	62.6
3	Dollar Academy	76.5	66.2
4	Hutchesons' Grammar School	76.1	73.7
5	St Columba's School	76.1	72.2
6	The High School of Glasgow	75.7	80.4
7	Albyn School	73.9	58.9
8	The Glasgow Academy	73.6	66.2
9	Stewart's Melville College	73.3	68.9
10	The Mary Erskine School	73.1	75.2
11	High School of Dundee	72.6	73.3
12	St Margaret's School for Girls, Aberdeen	71.7	62.8
13	St. Aloysius' College	71.2	65.5
14	George Watson's College	70.9	68.1
15	Morrison's Academy	68.6	66.5
16	Wellington School	68.6	61.1
17	Robert Gordon's College	68	65.9
18	Kilgraston School	67.7	47.5
19	Lomond School	65.9	51.5
20	Kelvinside Academy	65	55
21	Hamilton College	64.5	54.1
22	Fernhill School	61.5	77.9
23	The Edinburgh Rudolf Steiner School	60.5	40
24	Belmont House School	46.2	23.1
25	Queen Victoria School	37.1	41.4

Results of English Qualifications
The below schools follow the English exam curriculum, and are ranked according to the percentage of A-levels achieved at A*/A, as recorded in The Telegraph in 2015.^[46][47]

	School	A/A* A-level (%)	A/A* GCSE (%)	HMC
1	George Watson's College	55.4	(No data)	Yes
2	The Edinburgh Academy[48]	46.1	40.6	Yes
3	Fettes College[49]	45.0	68.0	Yes
4	St Leonards School[50]	43.2	41.2	Yes
5	Merchiston Castle School[51]	38.6	69.3	Yes
6	Loretto School[52]	37.5	49.7	Yes
7	St George's School, Edinburgh[53]	34.8	48.9	No
8	Glenalmond College[54]	31.5	52.8	Yes

Results of International Baccalaureate
The below schools offer the International Baccalaureate as a qualification, and are ranked according to the average score achieved out of a maximum 45 points.

	School	Average Score (/45)	>40 points (%)	HMC
1	Fettes College[55]	36.9	34	Yes
2	George Watson's College[56]	34.0	(No data)	Yes
3	St Leonards School[57]	33.0	13.0	Yes

See also

• List of schools in Scotland
• Education in Scotland
• List of UK Independent Schools
• List of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom
• Education Scotland