Aberdonian parents of primary school-aged children can rest easy knowing that the city is home to scores of high-achieving state schools.
There are many factors that go into making a primary school an excellent place for pupils just starting their educational journey. But while grades and performance aren’t the only thing that matter, they can be a strong indicator that a school is supporting its students to excel and helping them to build a solid educational foundation.
Using education statistics, Scotland’s Data on a Map publishes annual league tables for council areas across the country, rating how well the country’s state primary schools have performed each year. Schools are ranked using ACEL (or Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels) data. This shows the percentage of pupils across a range of different year groups who have achieved the expected levels in important school skills; literacy, numeracy, and speaking and listening.
The Scotland-wide average was a score of 80.5%, and 21 of the granite city’s 48 state primary schools exceeded it. This landed them a spot in performance band 1, which marks the country’s best performing schools.
Here are Aberdeen’s 21 super schools, which came out on top of the league table:
9. Seaton School
Seaton is a primary school in east Aberdeen, one of its closest to the coast. In the 2022/23 school year, it also had an average of 87.5% of its pupils meet the target levels. | Google
10. St Joseph’s RC School
St Joseph’s is a Catholic primary school in the west end of the city. In the 2022/23 school year, it too had an average of 87.5% of its pupils meet the target levels. | Google
11. Braehead School
Braehead is a primary and nursery school right in the heart of the Bridge of Don. In the 2022/23 school year, 85% of its pupils met the target levels. | Google
12. Broomhill School
This school is in the Broomhill suburb, in the west end of the city. In the 2022/23 school year, it too had an average of 85% of its pupils meet the target levels. | Google