Which area has the best grades? Key takeaways from Scotland's exam results
Summary
Over 130,000 students in Scotland received their 2026 exam results, showing a slight increase in pass rates compared to last year. The data reveals differences in performance based on gender, geography, school type, and support needs among students.Key Facts
- Pass rates for National 5 exams rose from 78.4% in 2025 to 79.2% in 2026; Higher pass rates rose from 75.9% to 76.7%; Advanced Higher rose from 76.7% to 77.6%.
- The attainment gap between students from the least and most deprived areas narrowed slightly but remains high; at National 5, the gap is 15.6 percentage points.
- Female students generally scored higher than male students at all exam levels, with small changes in the gender gap.
- East Renfrewshire had the highest council-level pass rate at National 5 with 90.6%.
- Private schools had over 90% pass rates at all levels, outperforming state schools where pass rates stayed below 80%.
- Students with additional support needs (ASN) scored lower than others, with gaps of 8.9 percentage points at National 5 and 6.2 at Higher levels.
- Urban areas showed better results than remote small towns, with Large Urban Areas having an 80.3% pass rate at National 5 compared to 71.6% in Remote Small Towns.
- The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) was used to measure the attainment gap between wealthier and deprived areas.
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