The Royal High School

The Royal High School is one of the oldest schools in Scotland and we are very proud of our history. We are situated in the west of Edinburgh and are a fully comprehensive, non-denominational high school. We deliver courses at every level up to Advanced Higher and pride ourselves in supporting all learners to achieve at the highest level possible.

We believe in providing an excellent and innovative education for our young people which best prepares them for their destination of choice post school. In addition, we offer a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities to learners. These pages will hopefully provide a flavour of the vibrancy of life in The Royal High School.

We hope that you find this site informative and helpful. Within the pages you will find information about the history of the school, details of our policies and plans, information about staff and courses, news from the Parent Council and links to our Former Pupils’ site. We also publish our daily bulletin on-line which gives up-to-date information about what is happening in school.

The Royal High School supports every young person to achieve and attain their very best. We respect individuality and celebrate diversity. We provide opportunities for success through a variety of curricular and extra-curricular options and pathways. We encourage creativity and support our young people to build the skills and resilience they need for the future. We have the courage to aspire to be the very best we can be. We belong to our school and we are very proud of our tradition and heritage.

The history of the school is linked inextricably with the history of Edinburgh. The black and white of the uniform are the same colours as those of the city and for many centuries The Royal High School was known in Edinburgh as the ‘Tounis Scule.’

Nobody knows for certain when the High School of Edinburgh first came into existence. The generally accepted date is 1128 when King David I founded the Abbey of Holyrood with which the school was first associated.

The other main theory is that the Augustinian friars, for whom the abbey was built, had acquired the patronage of the school while their residence was still at Edinburgh Castle, where they had settled before they transferred to Holyrood, thus making the foundation of the school a century or more earlier.