Smithton, #1 on this list · Photo: don cload · CC BY-SA 2.0

Highland rankings · Schools

Towns with the best schools in Highland

Smithton ranks first on schools among Highland’s 15 towns of 2,500+; none grades A− or better against UK towns; the best here is a B.

The School Grade (England only): Key Stage 2 and GCSE results of the state schools in the town (or within 3 km), weighted by pupils and measured against England’s schools. The rank across England sits beside each letter. How grades work

Smithton

2,905 people

Better than 64% of UK towns

Culloden

3,699 people

Better than 59% of UK towns

Milton of Leys

3,168 people

B⁻

Better than 47% of UK towns

All 15 towns, ranked

Schools grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England links to the national list.

Every town in Highland →

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15 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns

1Smithton2,905 peopleBbetter than 64% of UK towns

2Culloden3,699 peopleBbetter than 59% of UK towns

3Milton of Leys3,168 peopleB⁻better than 47% of UK towns

4Thurso7,419 peopleC⁺better than 43% of UK towns

T5Caol3,200 peopleC⁺better than 38% of UK towns

T5Fort William5,766 peopleC⁺better than 38% of UK towns

7Tain3,544 peopleC⁺better than 36% of UK towns

8Westhill5,681 peopleC⁺better than 35% of UK towns

9Inverness48,257 peopleCbetter than 32% of UK towns

10Nairn9,576 peopleCbetter than 31% of UK towns

T11Dingwall5,274 peopleCbetter than 29% of UK towns

T11Muir of Ord2,832 peopleCbetter than 29% of UK towns

13Wick6,905 peopleC⁻better than 15% of UK towns

14Alness5,940 peopleD⁻better than 3% of UK towns

15Invergordon3,801 peopleD⁻behind almost every UK town

Not ranked

Not on this list

1 town has no schools grade: no state school with published results in or within 3 km.

Aviemore 2,841 people. no state school with published results in or within 3 km.

Quick answers

Questions people ask

Which town in Highland has the best schools?

Smithton ranks first on schools among 15 towns, with a B: better than 64% of UK towns. Culloden and Milton of Leys follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The School Grade (England only): Key Stage 2 and GCSE results of the state schools in the town (or within 3 km), weighted by pupils and measured against England’s schools. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Welsh towns have no School Grade: Wales doesn’t publish school-level results. Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers Highland’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Highland is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Highland lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Highland rankings →

Most affordable towns16 towns · #1 Thurso Healthiest towns16 towns · #1 Milton of Leys Most walkable towns16 towns · #1 Fort William Towns with the lowest flood risk16 towns · #1 Culloden and 2 more Towns with the lowest council tax16 towns · #1 Alness and 15 moreDescribed, no letters Towns with the mildest winters16 towns · #1 CaolDescribed, no letters Towns with the warmest summers16 towns · #1 Muir of OrdDescribed, no letters Towns with the coolest summers16 towns · #1 Fort WilliamDescribed, no letters Towns with the fewest frosts16 towns · #1 InvergordonDescribed, no letters Driest towns16 towns · #1 NairnDescribed, no letters Wettest towns16 towns · #1 Fort WilliamDescribed, no letters

Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.