The top 10 secondary and primary schools in East Kilbride

East Kilbride, is home to some great Secondary and Primary schools too. We know that when it comes to finding the perfect school, there is no one size fits all answer. Every child is different and will thrive under different conditions.

So, we hope that our list below will make finding the right school a little easier. 

St Leonard’s Primary School

A Roman-Catholic primary school, St Leonard’s Primary School is affiliated with St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School.

This makes for an easy transition for parents wishing to send their kids there.  

St Leonard’s also offers an extensive selection of extra-curricular activities for your kids and has a nursery to accommodate preschoolers.

Duncanrig Secondary School

Duncanrig Secondary School is a favourite amongst the town’s residents, having the best exam results in East Kilbride - 44% of their leaver students scored 5 or higher in 2021.

However, it’s not just their academic performance that makes Duncanrig stand out, but their efforts to inspire the town’s sports scene.

The hosts of the Friday Football Project – a joint initiative between the Active Schools and the Scottish Football Association (SFA) – Duncanrig invites players from different youth team across East Kilbride to train with them on their floodlit, all-weather synthetic pitch with the aim being to not only improve their football-playing ability, but to improve their academic ability too. 

Their efforts extend to East Kilbride’s music scene too, with the school hosting a battle of the band’s competition, The Rig Rock, annually too. Both students and teachers get involved and it’s always quite the event for the whole town!

St Kenneth’s Primary School

 

One of the few primary schools in East Kilbride to boast an all-weather synthetic pitch, St Kenneth’s is the perfect primary school for your child if you have a budding football player in your midst. 

With impressive training grounds and supportive staff alongside a great academic program, St Kenneth’s can offer your child a bit of everything. 

The school also offers nursery services for your littlest ones.

St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School

With the 2nd best exam results in East Kilbride - 42% of leaver students scored 5 or higher in 2021 – St. Andrew’s and St. Bride’s High School is also popular locally.   

A Roman Catholic school – with some of its newer building adjacent to St Bride’s Roman Catholic Church – it is a school proud of its Roman Catholic roots. 

As a school that’s associated with six different primary schools, including two in East Kilbride (St Hilary’s Primary School and St Leonard’s Primary School), it is a school we recommend keeping on your radar if you have young kids.

Calderglen High School

Calderglen High School is a larges secondary school with 1800 pupils. However, they have plenty of teachers too. There is roughly one teacher for every 13 students, and it is a school renowned for the extensive amount of support they offer children with learning disabilities.   

A bit of trivia for you too: did you know that this was the high school popular TV personality, Lorraine Kelly attended?

Long Calderwood Primary School

With a curriculum built around teaching kids to be inventive, imaginative thinkers, Long Calderwood is a primary school that celebrates the individuality of every child and provides an environment for your kids that will enable them to thrive in today’s world with a sense of optimistic determination.

Their musical theatre department is a source of pride for Long Calderwood so expect many an invitation to a school play! 

Kirktonholme Primary School

Kirktonholme Primary School is all about helping young people develop a sense of community as well as a sense of themselves and what they can do if they just put their mind to it. 

By getting kids involved in community support schemes like their “Uniform Swap Don’t Shop” day – which encourages the recycling of clothes, so the uniforms of older kids don’t just get thrown away – they are teaching kids the value of sharing over consuming and developing the next generation of ethical human beings. 

Also offering a series of online courses for parents, initiated during the pandemic, Kirktonholme Primary School has managed to build a beautiful community in which kids are allowed to thrive.

Crosshouse Primary School

Crosshouse’s school motto is HEART – Happiness, Excellence, Achievement, Respect, Together - and it is a message they take very seriously.

Looking at their approach to education, their syllabus goes beyond mental maths and comprehension and tackles things like how to look after your finances and how to respect others regardless of their backgrounds. They also offer nursery options for younger kids.

Heathery Knowe Primary School

Heathery Knowe is the oldest school in East Kilbride and was the first primary school ever built in East Kilbride.

The school is still going strong today thanks to its commitment to creating a school where every child has a voice. 

One of the few primary schools with a school council populated by students as young as primary one – students are allowed and encouraged to voice their opinions whilst developing key communication skills, that will help them later in life, at the same time. 

For parents with a demanding job, Heathery Knowe’s breakfast club scheme, which allows kids to be dropped off early, is another thing that sets them apart.

But perhaps nothing defines the school more than its sweetly named, Flower Pot Garden. Located in the middle of the school, it is a peaceful space for kids to play in and a testament to a truly wonderful school. Heathery Knowe also offers nursery options for preschoolers. 

Schools in East Kilbride offering Extra Learning Support

Greenburn is a non-denominational school specially designed to support children with learning difficulties. 

Greenburn has a one day at a time approach to education and keeps its classes small – with there being roughly 56 pupils in the whole school. This ensures that each child is allotted as much one-to-one time with their teachers as they need to develop at their own pace and in a comfortable environment.   

A registered school in the Autism Services Directory, Greenburn is a great choice if your child requires extra learning support.

East Kilbride, with its diverse range of schools, is a town where your child can truly thrive. 

Find out more about living in East Kilbride.