BUTE and Cowal’s two council-run secondary schools have had their success stories for the 2026 exams outlined in a report.
Dunoon Grammar School beat the local and national A-C pass rates at Advanced Higher level, while its National 5 rate beat the local figure and equalled the national number.
Meanwhile, Rothesay Academy saw a year-on-year increase in its A-C pass rates at Higher and Advanced Higher when pupils received their results on Tuesday, August 4.
A school-by-school breakdown of exam results at Argyll and Bute Council’s 10 secondary schools will go before the authority’s community services committee at its meeting on Thursday, August 27.
Dunoon Grammar School returned A-C pass rates of 78 per cent at National 5 level, 72 per cent at Higher level, and 77 per cent at Advanced Higher level.
Rothesay Academy had A-C pass rates of 61 per cent at Higher level and 67 per cent at Advanced Higher level.
The graphic in the report does not contain a number for the National 5 A-C pass rate at Rothesay Academy in 2026, but the bar in the chart is lower than the previous year, when it recorded 63 per cent.
Those numbers compared with Argyll and Bute-wide A-C rates of 76 per cent for National 5, 75 per cent for Higher, and 73 per cent for Advanced Higher.
Across Scotland’s local authority schools, the A-C pass rates in 2026 were 78 per cent for National 5, 76 per cent for Higher and 75 per cent for Advanced Higher.
In a report accompanying the statistics, executive director Douglas Hendry said: “In 2026, the performance of Argyll and Bute schools compared relatively positively against results from 2025.
“Firstly, presentation rates at each of our three key measures improved – meaning that our schools continue to be aspirational in their approach to qualifications.
“Secondly, at National 5, five schools improved their A-C pass rates and six schools improved their A-D pass rates against 2025.
“Thirdly, at Higher, the authority A-D pass rate was above the overall national pass rate and also the local authority schools only pass rate. Furthermore, seven schools improved their A-C pass rate at Higher.
“Fourthly, at Advanced Higher, six schools had an A-C pass rate which exceeded the local authority schools’ national figure. This took place in an environment where Advanced Higher pass rates were above 2025 and the pre-pandemic norm.
“The education service will continue with a programme of support and challenge with all schools across the authority, involving a range of actions and measures to support schools to secure further improvement in examination outcomes for pupils.
“In the autumn, all secondary schools will participate in an attainment meeting with the executive director, heads of education, education manager and education lead for benchmarking, data and performance, at which head teachers will present in-depth analysis of all aspects of their schools’ attainment, and indicate key areas of focus for improvement.”
