The number of state schools in rural Scotland has plummeted by 136 since the SNP came to power, according to “alarming” new figures.
Data provided by education secretary Jenny Gilruth, in response to a question from Scottish Conservative opposite number Miles Briggs, shows that the tally of schools deemed to be in a rural area fell from 989 in 2007 to just 853 by 2023 – a reduction of almost 14 per cent.
Previous figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives earlier this year showed a net loss of more than 268 schools since the Nationalists took office, but these figures illustrate how badly pupils in rural and remote parts of the country have been affected.
Miles Briggs said that the proportion of school closures in rural areas shows that “as usual, they are hit hardest by SNP failure”.
Shadow cabinet secretary for education and skills Miles Briggs said: “This alarming reduction in the number of rural schools joins a litany of SNP failures in education.
“While the Nationalists have presided over hundreds of school closures across Scotland, as usual, it’s rural areas that are hit hardest – just as they are when it comes to GP shortages, delays to road upgrades and broadband rollout.
“The SNP’s dismal record in education resulted in the withdrawal of Scottish schools from international comparison tables, while our pupils lag behind those in England on key measures.
“There is an epidemic of classroom violence, and they have abjectly failed on their flagship pledge to eradicate the poverty-related attainment gap.
“We now urgently need a change of direction to tackle the damage caused by the SNP’s education policy and their abandonment of rural communities.”
Notes to editors
Over 130 rural schools have closed under the SNP. In 2007, there were 989 publicly funded schools in Scotland classed as being either an ‘Accessible Rural Area’ or ‘Remote Rural Area’. However, in 2023, there were 853 publicly funded schools in Scotland with this classification. This is means that 136 rural schools have closed – 13.75%. (Written question: S6W-35751, 1 April 2025, link).