Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations, No. 7: 2025 edition

Key Points

• 55,988 pupils left school in 2023-24 – an increase from 54,743 school leavers in 2022-23 and the largest school leaver cohort since 2009-10.
• 95.7 per cent of 2023-24 school leavers were in a positive initial destination. This is a small decrease from 2022-23 (95.9 per cent) and the second highest figure (alongside 2021-22) since consistent records began in 2009-10.
• Over the last year the percentage of school leavers in a positive initial destination has decreased for leavers from the (20 per cent) most deprived areas and slightly increased for those from the (20 per cent) least deprived areas. This has led to the deprivation gap widening from 3.7 percentage points in 2022-23 to 4.3 percentage points in 2023-24.

• 83.5 per cent of school leavers left with one pass or more at SCQF Level 5 or better in National Qualifications in 2023-24. This is a decrease from 2022-23 (84.8 per cent).
• 57.4 per cent of school leavers left with one pass or more at SCQF Level 6 or better in National Qualifications in 2023-24. This is a slight decrease from 2022-23 (57.9 per cent)

• The gap between the proportion of school leavers from the most and least deprived areas attaining 1 pass or more in National Qualifications at SCQF Level 4 or better was 7.3 percentage points. This is wider than in 2022-23, when it was 5.9 percentage points. This is due to a decrease among school leavers from the most deprived areas between and no change among school leavers from the least deprived areas.
• The gap between the proportion of school leavers from the most and least deprived areas attaining 1 pass or more in National Qualifications at SCQF Level 5 or better was 22.7 percentage points in 2023-24. This is wider than in 2022-23 (20.2 percentage points). This is due to a decrease among school leavers from both the most and the least deprived areas over the last year, with a larger decrease in the most deprived areas.
• for the proportion of school leavers attaining 1 pass or more in National Qualifications at SCQF Level 6 or better the gap was 38.4 percentage points in 2023-24. This is wider than in 2022-23 (36.9 percentage points). This is due to a decrease among school leavers from the most deprived areas and an increase among those from the least deprived areas.

• In 2023-24, 87.4 per cent of school leavers left with one pass or more at SCQF Level 5 or better in all SCQF qualifications. This proportion has decreased compared to 2022-23 (87.9 per cent) and 2018-19 (87.9 per cent).
• The proportion of school leavers who left with one pass or more at SCQF Level 6 or better in all SCQF qualifications in 2023-24 was 66.5 per cent. This is an increase compared to both 2022-23 (65.6 per cent) and 2018-19 (66.2 per cent).