Edinburgh school catchments

Every Edinburgh address sits inside four catchment areas — one non-denominational primary, one non-denominational secondary, one Roman Catholic primary, and one Roman Catholic secondary. Catchment determines which schools your child gets priority for, not which schools they're guaranteed.

This page lists every state school catchment in Edinburgh, with live rental properties available in each. Use the map to explore visually, the search box to jump to a specific school, or browse the lists below.

  • Catchment ≠ guarantee. Priority for placement, not a promise — popular schools turn down catchment children when oversubscribed, after exhausting siblings and exceptional cases.
  • Postcode isn't enough. Two flats on the same street can fall in different catchments. Always check by full address before signing a lease.
  • Nearest school ≠ catchment school. The council draws boundaries on a map, not by walking distance — your nearest primary may belong to a different catchment.

State schools only. Heriot's, Watson's, Stewart's Melville and the other independents have no catchments — admission to those is by application directly to the school. New to how Edinburgh's catchment system works? Read our renter's guide →

Toggle layers from the panel in the top-right. Click any polygon for the school name and a link to live rentals. Multi-polygon catchments (e.g. Canaan Lane Primary) appear as several shapes covering the same school.

Popular catchments

Primary No current listings
Bruntsfield Primary School
Bruntsfield and Merchiston. Feeds into Boroughmuir.
Primary No current listings
Sciennes Primary School
Marchmont and the Grange. Feeds into James Gillespie's.
Primary No current listings
South Morningside Primary School
Morningside and parts of the Grange. Feeds into Boroughmuir.
Primary No current listings
Stockbridge Primary School
Stockbridge, Comely Bank, parts of Inverleith. Feeds into Broughton.
Primary No current listings
Cramond Primary School
Cramond and the western edge of Davidson's Mains. Feeds into the Royal High.
Primary No current listings
Trinity Primary School
Trinity and Newhaven. Feeds into Trinity Academy.
Secondary No current listings
Boroughmuir High School
Bruntsfield, Morningside, Polwarth, Merchiston. High demand for placing requests.
Secondary No current listings
James Gillespie's High School
Marchmont, the Grange, Newington, parts of Sciennes.
Secondary No current listings
The Royal High School
North and west Edinburgh — Cramond, Davidson's Mains, Barnton.
Secondary No current listings
Trinity Academy
Trinity, Newhaven, parts of Leith.
Secondary No current listings
Broughton High School
Stockbridge, Comely Bank, Inverleith, Canonmills, parts of Broughton.
Secondary No current listings
Portobello High School
Portobello, Joppa, parts of Duddingston.

Browse by area

Catchments grouped by Edinburgh zone, derived from each neighbourhood's centre point. A school can appear in multiple zones if its catchment spans them. Doesn't include every catchment in a zone — see the full A–Z below for completeness.

Southside 11 catchments
Primary
Secondary
Central & New Town 8 catchments
Primary
Secondary
Waterfront & Coast 12 catchments
Primary
Secondary
West Edinburgh 10 catchments
Primary
Secondary
North & Outlying 4 catchments
Primary
Secondary

Every Edinburgh catchment

All non-denominational primary schools 76 schools
All non-denominational secondary schools 20 schools

Roman Catholic catchments

Edinburgh has 15 Roman Catholic primary catchments and 3 RC secondary catchments. Priority is given to catchment children baptised in the Roman Catholic faith first, then non-baptised catchment children, then everyone else.

RC primary schools 15 schools
RC secondary schools 3 schools

Common questions

What's the difference between catchment and nearest school?

Your catchment school is the one whose council-drawn boundary your address falls inside. Your nearest school is whichever is geographically closest. They're often different — Edinburgh's catchment lines aren't drawn by walking distance, so a flat 200m from one school can sit in a different catchment served by another a mile away.

Does being in catchment guarantee a place?

No — it gives priority. If the school is undersubscribed every catchment child gets in. If it's oversubscribed, the council places catchment children first but in some years even catchment children can be turned down at the most popular schools. The council's wording: "We cannot always guarantee a place at one of your catchment schools."

Can I make a placing request for a non-catchment school?

Yes, but they're considered only after catchment children have been placed. For high-demand schools (Boroughmuir, James Gillespie's, the Royal High) the answer is usually no. Don't rely on a placing request as your route into a popular school — rent in catchment if it matters.

What about independent schools like Heriot's or Watson's?

Edinburgh's independents — Heriot's, Watson's, Stewart's Melville and Mary Erskine (now ESMS), the Edinburgh Academy, Fettes, Clifton Hall, St George's — are fee-paying and have no catchments. Admission is by application directly to the school. If you're targeting one, address-based catchment isn't relevant.

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