Summary statistics for schools in Scotland 2024

Headline statistics on teachers, pupils, attendance, and early learning and childcare provision in Scotland.

Please note that the text in the Attendance and absence section under Persistent absence has been corrected from the version initially published.


Classes and pupils

Class sizes

The overall average class size for primary has increased from 23.2 in 2023 to 23.3 in 2024 (Figure 18). Between 2023 and 2024 the rounded average class size for P1-P3 remained at 23.0 while the rounded average class size for P4-7 remained the same at 25.7. Statistics on class sizes in the secondary sector are not collected as class size varies widely across subjects.

Figure 19 shows that the number of P1-P3 pupils taught in classes of 26 or more decreased from 38,888 in 2023 to 38,209 in 2024. The number of pupils taught in classes of 18 or fewer decreased from 19,979 in 2023 to 19,902 in 2024. However, the reduction in the number of pupils in P1-P3 meant that the proportion of pupils taught in classes of 18 or fewer increased slightly from 12.7% in 2023 to 12.9% in 2024.

Legislation limits class sizes to 25 for P1 pupils and to 30 for P2 and P3. However, classes may exceed these limits due the inclusion of one or more ‘excepted pupils’ (see Background Notes for more information).

In 2024 the number of P1 pupils in classes of 26 or more was 493; this was an increase from 264 in 2023 (Figure 20). In 2024, there were 20 classes with 26 or more pupils and at least one P1 pupil, compared to 11 such classes in 2023 (data not shown).

Figure 21 shows that the percentage of P1-P3 pupils in classes of 18 or fewer varied considerably between local authorities and years. One of the main reasons for this was the differing number of small schools between local authorities.

Pupil demographics

Figure 22 and Figure 23 show pupils broken down by characteristics used in equalities monitoring. In 2024, 78.5% of pupils were recorded as being White-Scottish or White-other British (Figure 22). The next largest proportions of ethnic backgrounds were White-Other (3.8%), White-Polish (2.4%), Asian Pakistani (2.3%) and mixed (1.9%).

In 2024, 40.5% of all pupils (284,448 individuals) had an additional support need (ASN) (Figure 23). This is 3.8 percentage points higher than 2023 when 36.7% of pupils had an additional support need.

The number of pupils identified with ASN has increased markedly since 2010 and there continue to be year on year increases (see table 1.5 of the supplementary tables). These increases were likely due in part to continued improvements in recording and the introduction of the additional need types 'Child plans' and ‘Other’ in 2011.

Statistics on additional support needs include pupils in special schools and those in mainstream schools who are assessed or declared disabled, or have a Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP), Individualised Education Programme (IEP), Child Plan or another type of support. Pupils may have more than one type of ASN, therefore the sum of ASN types is greater than total number of pupils with ASN.

Figure 18 Average class size of primary school pupils by stage, Scotland, 2018 to 2024 [Note 1]

Stage

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

P1

20.9

21.0

20.8

20.9

20.9

20.8

20.9

P2

23.9

23.9

23.8

23.7

23.8

23.6

23.6

P3

24.6

24.7

24.2

24.4

24.5

24.5

24.3

P4

25.7

25.7

25.3

25.3

25.5

25.4

25.4

P5

26.1

26.0

25.5

25.6

25.7

25.8

25.8

P6

26.0

26.0

25.5

25.6

25.7

25.7

25.9

P7

26.0

25.9

25.6

25.5

25.7

25.8

25.8

P1-P3

23.2

23.2

22.9

23.0

23.1

23.0

23.0

P4-P7

25.9

25.9

25.5

25.5

25.7

25.7

25.7

Primary

23.5

23.5

23.1

23.2

23.3

23.2

23.3

Note 1: Data refers to the average class size of pupils in each stage, not the average class size of single stage classes. The total primary average class size is calculated on a different basis to all the other class sizes shown, see Background Notes for details.

Figure 19 P1-P3 pupils by class size, Scotland, 2018 to 2024 [Note 1]

Class Size

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

0 - 18

20,613

20,591

22,899

20,328

20,235

19,979

19,902

19 - 25

104,453

103,326

100,948

102,233

99,925

99,080

96,418

26 - 30

44,362

43,410

39,874

39,626

40,250

38,729

37,987

31 or more

350

224

190

97

191

159

222

% in classes of 18 or fewer or in two teacher classes of 36 or fewer

12.1

12.3

14.0

12.5

12.6

12.7

12.9

Note 1: The percentage of P1-P3 pupils in classes of 18 or fewer includes two-teacher classes with 36 or fewer. Classes taught by two teachers at all times are treated as two classes of half the size.

Figure 20 P1 pupils by class size, Scotland, 2018 to 2024

Class size

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

0 - 18

11,326

11,393

12,570

11,017

10,936

11,064

10,272

19 - 25

43,254

43,525

40,551

41,724

40,906

38,729

39,239

26 or more

511

267

188

293

409

264

493

Figure 21 P1-P3 pupil in classes of size 18 or fewer or in two teacher classes with a pupil teacher ratio of 18 or fewer, local authority, 2018 to 2024 (percentage)

Local Authority

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Aberdeen City

9.9

13.5

12.8

5.7

8.7

8.6

8.8

Aberdeenshire

16.0

20.0

18.6

15.0

13.1

13.2

11.1

Angus

20.1

19.2

17.7

18.2

16.7

14.2

15.2

Argyll and Bute

34.6

28.5

39.1

37.9

42.1

37.4

32.0

City of Edinburgh

5.2

4.5

6.0

5.8

5.3

5.3

5.9

Clackmannanshire

11.8

16.5

13.1

12.9

13.5

24.5

24.6

Dumfries and Galloway

20.2

17.7

16.8

13.9

17.6

20.6

18.7

Dundee City

3.1

5.9

7.1

6.3

10.0

9.5

9.4

East Ayrshire

8.3

12.0

17.0

17.8

12.8

8.0

9.5

East Dunbartonshire

10.5

9.3

10.1

8.1

12.6

17.3

7.2

East Lothian

8.8

6.1

12.2

10.7

15.0

16.1

20.6

East Renfrewshire

11.9

18.3

9.5

13.6

9.6

6.3

12.2

Falkirk

8.8

10.6

15.2

14.1

8.6

10.7

12.1

Fife

7.1

3.7

7.1

4.1

4.8

5.9

7.0

Glasgow City

6.5

8.0

10.9

9.7

9.2

8.4

6.6

Highland

18.8

16.7

21.0

20.5

22.2

20.9

22.9

Inverclyde

6.1

8.0

4.8

7.1

10.6

8.9

13.8

Midlothian

16.2

9.4

11.4

8.3

13.7

15.0

12.4

Moray

9.0

11.0

9.0

15.3

14.6

12.8

12.0

Na h-Eileanan Siar

56.4

60.4

55.3

65.9

57.4

55.7

62.1

North Ayrshire

10.9

16.4

14.6

11.9

17.0

13.2

17.3

North Lanarkshire

8.9

9.4

13.7

13.3

11.2

12.8

11.8

Orkney Islands

24.8

30.6

36.8

31.8

26.9

41.3

29.1

Perth and Kinross

11.8

16.7

17.5

17.9

17.9

16.2

17.8

Renfrewshire

16.1

13.7

15.4

12.2

11.1

10.3

10.6

Scottish Borders

12.5

10.6

13.0

10.8

10.7

12.3

13.9

Shetland Islands

36.2

31.3

46.7

42.1

34.3

43.2

53.1

South Ayrshire

15.4

14.1

19.2

16.2

17.3

18.2

12.6

South Lanarkshire

19.2

18.1

16.9

12.1

11.3

12.5

11.1

Stirling

10.0

13.9

17.0

11.6

13.5

12.4

20.2

West Dunbartonshire

19.2

15.7

16.4

21.8

15.7

16.8

28.0

West Lothian

17.1

13.6

17.1

17.4

19.4

18.2

21.1

Scotland [Note 1]

12.1

12.3

14.0

12.5

12.6

12.6

12.9

Note 1: The statistics for Scotland include one grant-aided mainstream school.

Figure 22 Pupil ethnicity by sex, Scotland, 2024

Ethnicity

Female

Male

Total

Total Pupils

343,961

358,467

702,428

White - Scottish

248,192

258,034

506,226

White - Other British

21,868

23,181

45,049

White - Irish

739

751

1,490

White - Polish

8,337

8,651

16,988

White - Gypsy/Traveller

696

761

1,457

White - Other

12,978

13,667

26,645

Mixed

6,658

6,621

13,279

Asian - Indian

5,105

5,435

10,540

Asian - Pakistani

7,983

8,219

16,202

Asian - Bangladeshi

808

813

1,621

Asian - Chinese

2,807

2,875

5,682

Asian - Other

3,226

3,343

6,569

Caribbean/Black - Scottish/British

532

523

1,055

Caribbean/Black - Other

357

417

774

African - Scottish/British

4,755

4,740

9,495

African - Other

5,353

5,544

10,897

Arab

2,538

2,750

5,288

Other

2,823

3,017

5,840

Not known

6,373

7,095

13,468

Not disclosed

1,833

2,030

3,863

Figure 23 Pupils with additional support needs (ASN) and English as an additional language by sex, Scotland, 2024 [Note 1]

Additional Support Need

Female

Male

Total

English as an Additional Language

27,796

30,357

58,153

CSP (Co-ordinated Support Plan)

464

751

1,215

IEP (Individualised Education Programme)

13,051

25,169

38,220

Child Plans

21,495

34,893

56,388

Assessed/Declared Disabled

9,129

16,963

26,092

Other [Note 2]

105,229

126,299

231,528

All pupils with ASN [Note 3]

125,217

159,231

284,448

All pupils with ASN (excluding Other type) [Note 3]

35,604

58,797

94,401

Note 1: Statistics for English as an Additional Language do not include grant-aided special schools as this information is not collected. There were 100 pupils at grant-aided special schools in 2024.

Note 2: See the background notes for further information on what the other category includes.

Note 3: Pupils may have more than one type of ASN, therefore the totals for ASN may not equal the sum of individual types of ASN.

Contact

school.stats@gov.scot

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