Exam Results 2025
August 5 2025
Congratulations to those Upper School pupils who received exam results on Tuesday 5th August.
With this year marking a full return to pre-pandemic assessment and marking, Edinburgh Steiner School’s Higher exam results in 2025 were outstanding, with particularly strong performances in English, maths and art. The overall pass rate (A-C) for Edinburgh Steiner School (ESS) Higher results was 98% – among the highest of all time – and with no candidates failing any of their Highers.
The proportion of Higher results graded ‘A’ rose again compared to last year, to 66%, and the combined percentage of ‘A’ and ‘B’ grade results totalled 86%. Over the long term, these results continue a gradual upward trend in exam performance for our pupils (especially in the top grades), taking the 5-year running mean pass rate for Higher – a combined average of the results for the current year plus the previous four years – over 92%, and within a percentage point of an all-time high.
The overall national pass rate (A-C) was significantly lower (75.9%). Several ESS pupils received the coveted string of ‘straight As’.
The ESS pass rate (A-C) for National 5 (for exam courses which were sat mostly by pupils in Classes 10 and 11) was very good (85%), with the vast majority (74%) of ESS results at grades A or B. Well over half (62%) of all National 5 results in 2025 were at grade A (slightly higher than last year) and a large proportion of ESS pupils received ‘straight As’. The national pass rate (A-C) was 78.4%.
Advanced Higher results (Art & Design, Maths and French) were also excellent, with 86% of results graded ‘A’ or ‘B’.
Of the 8 presentations for National 4, all candidates passed.
The results are a well-deserved reward for all the hard work and commitment demonstrated by Upper School pupils and their teachers.