EARLSTON High School has soared up the Scottish school league table compiled by The Times newspaper.

The rankings, published on May 6, are calculated according to the proportion of pupils gaining five or more Highers.

Earlston, the best performing school in the Borders, occupies 29th place based on 2018/19 results, an improvement on the 46th place it held previously.

Galashiels Academy, meanwhile, has tumbled down the rankings, now occupying 256th place compared with 139th place last time.

Selkirk High School has also suffered a slide. It is now ranked in 164th position - out of the 345 state schools in the table - having previously been in 121st place.

At Earlston, 55 per cent of pupils gained five or more Highers in 2018/19.

The proportion at Galashiels Academy was 27 per cent, with Selkirk at 34 per cent.

A Scottish Borders Council spokesperson said: “This table solely looks at one aspect - the percentage of pupils passing five or more Highers. 

“This data alone is not a measure of how well a school is doing and we use a variety of indicators to measure progress. 

“We always work closely with our schools to support pupils and provide the best learning environment possible.”

Other Borders schools were placed in the following positions (5+ Highers percentage in brackets):

  • Peebles, 68th (45 per cent)
  • Berwickshire, 185th (32 per cent)
  • Eyemouth, 216th (29 per cent)
  • Kelso, 228th (29 per cent)
  • Jedburgh Grammar School, 266th (25 per cent)
  • Hawick, 300th (22 per cent)

UPDATE - 7.30pm, May 9, 2020 - The ranking positions in this article are as they appeared in the print edition of The Times (Scotland) on May 6, 2020.