Statistics from the Scottish Household Survey: Satisfaction with Schools 2025, published today, indicate a slight uptick in public contentment with local educational facilities. Adult satisfaction rose to 72% in 2025, an increase from 69% recorded in 2024.
Despite this recent increase, overall satisfaction with schools has seen a general decline since its peak of 85% in 2011. Satisfaction remained stable at 69% from 2022 until the latest figures for 2025.
Concurrently, dissatisfaction with schools has risen, climbing from 9% in 2024 to 11% in 2025. The proportion of respondents who were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied also decreased, falling from 22% to 17%.
As in previous years, service users reported higher satisfaction levels with local schools in 2025, at 80%, compared to non-service users at 68%. However, satisfaction among service users, while similar to 2024 (81%), represents the lowest point since the time series began in 2007/2008.
In contrast, satisfaction among non-service users has shown recent growth, increasing from 61% in 2022 to 68% in 2025, returning to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. Satisfaction levels for both the general adult population and service users were found to be consistent across the different Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintiles.
Service users of local schools are identified as households with a school-aged child present. The full publication, including a summary of key results, is available on the school education statistics website. Further data tables will be updated on 30th October 2026, with the methodology report also accessible via the Scottish Government Publications page.
