Data and methodology

Sources and timing

The School Estates Core Facts Survey covers all local authority schools open on 1 April. It does not cover grant-aided schools, independent schools or early learning and childcare establishments. Virtual schools are also excluded. The survey also collects information on the number of schools built or substantially refurbished during the last year (1 April to 31 March).

Information from the survey is used to establish baselines, inform targets, inform spending decisions, support monitoring and evaluation of progress over time, and support assessments of value for money in the school estate.

School Estates data was previously collected in 2004 as a one off and then annually from 2007. The collection was piloted in December 2003. However, as the 2003 data were incomplete and often of poor quality, the results were not published. Not all local authorities could answer all the questions in the survey at that time.

Pupil numbers for each school are based on those from the previous Pupil Census – for 2024 this is the September 2023 Pupil Census. However, some local authorities may choose to provide updated pupil rolls during the School Estates Core Facts Survey collection process. Schools opened after September but before April will have no pupils recorded for that school year unless this figure is provided during the School Estates collection. For more information on the Pupil Census please see the Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland publication.

The reporting schedule for ‘School Estate Statistics’ changed in 2019 to improve the timeliness of the publication and to better meet user needs. School estate statistics for 2010-2018 were published in Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland.

Rounding and symbols

All percentages are rounded separately so breakdowns may not sum to the total shown.

The following symbols are used:

x = not available

0 = nil or rounds to nil

z = not applicable