Balerno Community High School, EDINBURGH

Balerno Community High School is a local authority school in Scotland. Scottish schools are inspected by Education Scotland rather than Ofsted, and Scotland does not publish school-by-school exam league tables.

In the 2025 pupil census it had 889 pupils and 13.2 pupils per teacher.

5% of pupils are registered for free school meals, 49% of pupils have an additional support need recorded and 4% speak English as an additional language.

4% of its pupils live in Scotland's most deprived fifth of areas and 42% in the least deprived fifth (SIMD).

Attendance was 91.6% in 2024/25, and 22.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).

The 2026 school estate survey rated its buildings' condition as satisfactory (B) and their suitability for teaching as poor (C); the school was 105% full.

94% of pupils who left in 2023/24 went on to a positive destination - further or higher education, training, work or volunteering, against 97% for its "virtual comparator", a matched group of pupils with similar backgrounds from across Scotland.

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, hockey, dance, drama, guitar, chess, STEM and philosophy.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Balerno Community High School are Currie Community High School (1.1 miles), Wester Hailes High School (2.8 miles), Forrester High School (3.7 miles) and Merchiston Castle School (3.8 miles).

The nearest railway station is Curriehill Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bridge Road (after), 20 metres away.

The primary schools closest to Balerno Community High School are Dean Park Primary School (0.4 miles), Currie Primary School (1.3 miles) and Nether Currie Primary School (1.7 miles). In Scotland, secondary places normally follow the catchment area, and each secondary school has associated primary schools; Edinburgh City publishes both.