Pupils across North Lanarkshire are celebrating another successful year, with improvements across National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher attainment in the 2026 exam results. The results show encouraging progress throughout the senior phase, with S4 Level 5, S5 Level 6 and S6 Level 7 attainment measures improving compared with 2025.
Strong gains in key qualifications
Some of the strongest gains were recorded in National 5 and Higher attainment, with more S4 pupils achieving five or more National 5 qualifications and more S5 pupils gaining one or more Highers. There was also an increase in the number of S6 learners achieving an Advanced Higher, supporting progression to university, college and other higher-level study.
Councillor Michael McBride, convener of education, said: "Congratulations to everyone receiving their results. Whether you're celebrating achieving your goals or preparing for your next steps, you should be incredibly proud of everything you've achieved."
Record presentations and improved pass rates
Presentations increased at both Higher and Advanced Higher level, reaching their highest numbers in five years. Compared with 2025, Higher presentations increased by 3.09 per cent, and Advanced Higher presentations increased by 8.41 per cent.
North Lanarkshire's National 5 A to C pass rate increased by 1.8 percentage points to 78.1 per cent. Across Scotland, the National 5 A to C pass rate increased by 0.8 percentage points to 76.7 per cent. The Higher A to C pass rate increased by 1.0 percentage point to 72.7 per cent, while nationally it increased by 0.8 percentage points to 76.7 per cent. At Advanced Higher, the A to C pass rate increased by 0.7 percentage points to 71.8 per cent, compared with a national increase of 0.9 percentage points to 77.6 per cent.
Improvements across all senior phases
Compared with 2024/25 data, there were improvements in the number of young people in S4 achieving five or more awards at National 5 (45.7 per cent, an increase of 2.4 percentage points), five or more passes at National 4 (78.5 per cent, an increase of 0.5 percentage points), and five or more passes at National 3 (85.5 per cent, an increase of 1.0 percentage point).
In S5, the number achieving one or more awards at Higher was 56.6 per cent (up 2.4 percentage points), three or more awards at Higher was 34.3 per cent (up 1.5 percentage points), and five or more awards at Higher was 15.0 per cent (up 0.8 percentage points). In S6, the number of pupils achieving at least one Advanced Higher award at grades A to C was 16.0 per cent, an increase of 2.0 percentage points compared with the previous year.
The overall picture across North Lanarkshire is very positive, with more young people achieving a greater breadth and depth of higher-level qualifications.
Support and encouragement
Councillor McBride added: "Every learner's journey is different, and today's results are just one milestone along the way. It's important to remember that there are lots of options available, whether you're moving on to university, college, an apprenticeship, employment or continuing your studies. For anyone whose results aren't quite what they hoped for, remember there are many routes to achieving your ambitions, and help and advice are always available to support you in finding the right path."
This year's strong Qualifications Scotland results reflect the continued commitment of schools across North Lanarkshire to helping every young person achieve their potential and leave school with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need for the future.
