East Lothian

41 schools · 34 primary · 7 secondary

Browse all schools by town →Official council website ↗

Schools

15,239

Pupils

1,008

Teachers (FTE)

Open jobs

East Lothian is one of Scotland's 33 local authorities (councils), responsible for 41 state schools — 34 primary, 7 secondary, educating around 15,239 pupils with 1,008 full-time-equivalent teachers. In 2024-25, East Lothian spent around £6,791 per primary pupil and £8,794 per secondary pupil — below the Scotland averages of £7,606 and £9,338. In 2024-25, 97.9% of school leavers went on to a positive destination (above the Scotland average of 95.7%), and 40.5% left with five or more Highers (Scotland average 40.8%). Schools in East Lothian are inspected by Education Scotland on a six-point scale. Browse every school by town, view pupil and staffing data, or compare schools side by side.

Education spending in East Lothian

Gross council expenditure per pupil/place, shown against the Scotland average (2024-25).

£6,791

per primary pupil

▼ 11%vs Scotland (£7,606)

£8,794

per secondary pupil

▼ 6%vs Scotland (£9,338)

£7,913

per pre-school place

▼ 34%vs Scotland (£12,055)

Source: Local Government Benchmarking Framework (Improvement Service), 2024-25, under the Open Government Licence. A higher figure is typical of rural and island councils, where smaller schools cost more per pupil to run — it does not by itself mean better-resourced classrooms.

School outcomes in East Lothian

How this council's schools compare to the Scotland average (2024-25). Higher is better.

97.9%

Positive destinations

▲ 2.2 ptsvs Scotland (95.7%)

66.1%

5+ at National 5

▼ 2.5 ptsvs Scotland (68.6%)

40.5%

5+ Highers

▼ 0.3 ptsvs Scotland (40.8%)

74.5%

Primary literacy

—at Scotland avg

79.3%

Primary numeracy

▼ 1 ptsvs Scotland (80.3%)

92.3%

Attendance rate

▲ 1.3 ptsvs Scotland (91%)

71%

Parents satisfied

▲ 2 ptsvs Scotland (69%)

Source: Local Government Benchmarking Framework (Improvement Service), 2024-25, under the Open Government Licence. Outcomes are council-wide averages and reflect each school's intake and catchment, not just its teaching.