Percentage of school leavers in positive destinations matches last year

The percentage of school leavers in positive destinations in Scotland has matched the figure achieved last year, according to Scottish Government statistics.

In 2024-25, 95.7% of school leavers in Scotland were in positive destinations such as work, training, college or university three months after leaving school.

The Scottish Government has said this figure is the same level as in 2023-24, and the second highest overall alongside also 2021-22, since consistent records began in 2009-10.

There has also been a fall in the number of young people leaving school at S4, down by 544 pupils to 7,540, and in S5 down to 370 with more pupils staying on until S6.

The proportion of young people leaving school with five or more passes at National level and Highers, as well as their equivalent vocational and technical qualifications, has increased over the past year.

A record high of 68.6% of young people left school with five or more qualifications at SCQF Level 5 (National 5 equivalent).

Those leaving with five or more passes at SCQF level 6 (Higher equivalent) rose to 40.8%.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said the new statistics show a “strong recovery” in education following the pandemic.

She said: “An increasing number of young people are leaving school with five qualifications or more at SCQF Level 5 or better, including National 5s and Highers.

“This underlines the strong recovery we are seeing in education, following the pandemic and the importance of the breadth of choice schools offer to young people in the senior phase.

“It shows the hard work of learners, teachers and parents and carers and comes after we saw record levels of literacy and numeracy in Scotland’s schools in the recent ACEL (Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence) statistics.”

However, the Scottish Liberal Democrats have been critical of the widening attainment gap which increased at Level 4 to 19.5 percentage points, up from 17.8 in 2018-19.

The statistics also show the gap between the proportion of leavers from the most and least deprived areas in a positive initial destination was 4.7 percentage points. This is wider than in 2023-24 (4.3 percentage points) but narrower than in 2018-19 at 5.4 percentage points.

Ms Gilruth said: “The Scottish Government has invested £1.75 billion in the Scottish Attainment Challenge over the past decade helping improve outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty and, while this latest data shows there is more to do, we remain determined to address this.

“The proportion of Scotland’s young people in positive destinations remains at a near record high.

“The welcome increase among those going on to Higher Education underlines the importance of our commitment to free tuition, ensuring – in Scotland -education is based on the ability to learn, not pay.

“The recently passed Tertiary Education and Training Bill will also put apprenticeships on a statutory footing for the first time, creating parity with other post-school routes to provide more choices for young people.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie said the “SNP’s promise to a whole generation of pupils from deprived backgrounds is irrevocably broken” as he pointed to the growing attainment gap in Scotland.

Despite increasing at Level 4 to 19.5 percentage points, up from 17.8 in 201-/19, the attainment gap has narrowed at Level 5 by 2.7 percentage points compared to eight years ago.

However, it widened at Level 6 to 40.0 percentage points, up from 37.4 in 2018-19.

Willie Rennie said: “The attainment gap is growing and it’s clear that SNP ministers have given up on closing it as they promised a decade ago.

“When I speak with teachers, they identify a series of classroom challenges, from bad behaviour and high absence rates to lack of additional support for pupils who need it.

“The SNP’s promise to a whole generation of pupils from deprived backgrounds is irrevocably broken.

“Only Scottish Liberal Democrats have a realistic plan to get Scottish education back to its best.

“We will get phones out of schools and put in place pupil support assistants so every child gets the best start in life.”