Portobello High School, Edinburgh

Portobello 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 1520 pupils and 14.7 pupils per teacher.

11% of pupils are registered for free school meals, 49% of pupils have an additional support need recorded and 10% speak English as an additional language.

15% of its pupils live in Scotland's most deprived fifth of areas and 39% in the least deprived fifth (SIMD).

Attendance was 89.7% in 2024/25, and 32.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).

The 2026 school estate survey rated its buildings' condition as good (A) and their suitability for teaching as good (A); the school was 109% full.

97% of pupils who left in 2024/25 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.

In its own words: "At Portobello High School, our vision is simple yet powerful: Achieving Together . We believe that education is most effective when it is built on strong relationships, shared responsibility, and a sense of belonging. Our school is a place where pupils, staff, families, and the wider community work in partnership to help every young person thrive academically, socially, and personally."

From the headteacher's welcome: "Whether you are a parent, carer, someone thinking of joining our staff team, or a local partner, we hope you’ll see what makes Portobello such a great place to learn, work, and grow. At Portobello High School, our vision is summed up in our motto: Achieving Together ."

On phones, the school says: "To support this, we have introduced a mobile phone use policy that incorporates the innovative Yondr Pouch system ( www.overyondr.com )."

The nearest other state secondary schools to Portobello High School are Castlebrae Community High School (1.2 miles), Holy Rood RC High School (1.2 miles), Musselburgh Grammar School (2.4 miles) and Liberton High School (2.6 miles).

The nearest railway station is Brunstane Rail Station, about 800 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Portobello High School (at), 100 metres away.

The primary schools closest to Portobello High School are Brunstane Primary School (0.4 miles), St John's RC Primary School (0.5 miles), Towerbank Primary School (0.7 miles) and Duddingston Primary School (0.7 miles). In Scotland, secondary places normally follow the catchment area, and each secondary school has associated primary schools; Edinburgh City publishes both.