Record number of pupils in good condition schools

A record number of school buildings across Scotland are in a good or satisfactory condition.

The proportion of schools reported as being in this category has reached 90.4%, according to the Schools Estate Statistics 2022. This is 29 percentage points higher than in April 2007 (61.1%).

The number of pupils educated in good or satisfactory condition schools has also reached 91.7%, an increase of 30.9% since April 2007.

Other figures show the number of children  now receiving free school meals has reached a record high of 215,053, after the Scottish Government extended the offer to help more families in need.

Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said:

"We now have a record number of schools in good or satisfactory condition.

“Our long term commitment to education, in partnership with local government, is clear through our £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme, which will benefit 50,000 learners across Scotland.

“These latest statistics illustrate how our investment is making a real difference to thousands of children and young people, with a record 281,070 children now being educated in good condition schools.

"It is also encouraging to see the number of free school meals provided to children up by over 30,000, since we extended universal provision across all of primary 1 to primary 5."

Background

Read the School Estate Statistics 2022 

Read the School healthy Living Statistics 2022 

The Scottish Government funds local authorities to provide free school lunches to all pupils in primaries one to five, eligible pupils in P6 to S6 and in state-funded special schools - saving families an average of £400 per child per year.  It has also provided local authorities with £21.75 million to deliver free school meals during the school holidays for eligible families on the basis of low income.

For further information on school meal entitlements visit mygov.scot