Fife is well known for punching above its weight in academia, home to Scotland’s oldest and highest-rated university - St Andrews.
But before heading off to any university, high schoolers have to ace their Higher exams. That’s where going to the right school comes in. Using official Scottish Government statistics, Scotland’s Data on a Map publishes an annual league table rating how well the country’s state high and secondary schools have done, after the National and Higher exam results are released each year. They are ranked based on what Scotland’s Data on a Map describes as the ‘gold standard’ - the percentage of students who sat their Highers that year that passed five or more of them.
The most recent data currently available is from the 2022/23 school year, which saw 57 schools across Scotland reach that gold standard with at least half of their students who sat their higher exams. Just one of the 18 secondary schools in the Fife council area hit the 50% mark.
But grades aren’t everything, and that doesn’t mean Fife isn’t home to some excellent schools with their own unique strengths, which might prove to be a better fit for your family. Ten local schools still saw more than 30% of their pupils pass five or more Highers - also a fantastic achievement.
Here are the 10 best-rated secondary schools in Fife based on academic performance.

1. Woodmill High School
Woodmill High School is a local-authority run secondary school in Dunfermline, which shares a site with St Columbus High School. In the 2022/23 school year, 50% of its students met the ‘gold standard’ of attaining five or more Highers. | Lisa Ferguson

2. Madras College
Madras College is a comprehensive secondary school in St Andrews. In the 2022/23 school year, 46% of its students met the ‘gold standard’ of attaining five or more Highers. | Google

3. Waid Academy
The Waid Academy is a public secondary school in Anstruther. In the 2022/23 school year, 45% of its students met the ‘gold standard’ of attaining five or more Highers. | Google

4. Dunfermline High School
Dunfermline High School is a six-year comprehensive school in Dunfermline. In the 2022/23 school year, 43% of its students met the ‘gold standard’ of attaining five or more Highers. | Google