Scotland’s best state secondary school has been named for 2026, with the annual Sunday Times Parent Power Guide ranking the country’s top performers.
Retaining its top spot as Scotland’s highest ranked state secondary is Jordanhill School in Glasgow, which has also been awarded Scottish state secondary school of the year for academic excellence.
Other highly commended schools include Douglas Academy in Milngavie in fifth place, which has also been named as the overall Scottish state secondary school for 2026, with Aberdeen Grammar School in Aberdeen the runner-up.
Evaluating schools by overall Highers performance in 2025, the Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2026 found that – once again – the majority of Scotland’s best state secondaries are located in or around Glasgow. However, that is without considering independent schools or those which earned awards outside of the top ten.
Recognised as the definitive ranking of the UK’s top schools, the full guide includes a fully searchable national database of more than 2,000 schools by name, local authority, town and postcode along with an assessment of academic results per school.
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If you’re solely interested in the best of the best, here are Scotland’s top ten state secondary schools according to the Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2026.
1. Jordanhill School
Jordanhill School in Glasgow has yet again been named Scotland's top school. Serving both primary and secondary pupils, this institution has held its high position for the better part of a decade. In the 2026 Times Parent Power Guide, Jordanhill was also awarded Scottish State Secondary School of the Year for Academic Excellence. | Google Images
2. Mearns Castle High School
Climbing up the rankings is Mearns Castle High School in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire. After jumping from eighth place in 2024 to third in 2025, for 2026 it is Scotland's second best state secondary school. | Google Maps
3. Woodfarm High School
In third place is Woodfarm High School in East Renfrewshire, which serves Thornliebank. It is a regular on this list, however has climbed three places from last year earning it joint highly commended status alongside Dunfermline High School. | Google Maps
4. St Ninian's High School
Located in Giffnock, St Ninian's High School is another high achieving state secondary school in East Renfrewshire, becoming the fourth best in Scotland in the 2026 Parent Power Guide. | Google Maps