Gordonstoun

Focus 

Preparing students for life

Day fees 2024/25 

$19,200–$55,400 (incl. VAT)

Boarding fees 2024/25 

$47,000–$76,400 (incl. VAT)

Pupils 

582

Ages

4–18

Spear’s Review

Prince Philip attended Gordonstoun, located in the north-east of Scotland, and the school’s outward bound spirit inspired the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. His son, King Charles III, was also educated there, as were other members of the British royal family.

Like Germany’s Schule Schloss Salem, Gordonstoun was founded by German educationalist Dr Kurt Hahn. In line with his ethos, the school endeavours to offer a broader curriculum to expand and open its pupils’ minds: classroom learning is combined with a range of out-of-classroom experiences, including a seamanship course where students learn to sail the school’s ocean-going yacht, Ocean Spirit of Moray.

Not as spartan as it might once have been, a Gordonstoun education still instils a sense of resilience that will be carried into adult life.

Academics

Gordonstoun's most recent publicly available results are dated from 2023:

In 2023, 31 per cent of A-Level results were A* or A.

In 2023, 53 per cent of GCSE results were grades 7–9. 

University and college destinations

According to the school, 90 per cent of the class of 2024 were offered places at universities of their choice. These include Russell Group universities such as Birmingham, Cambridge, Durham, Edinburgh, Exeter, King’s College London, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and York. In the US, students were set to attend Tufts University and Carnegie Mellon, among others.

Head teacher

Peter Green, previously executive headmaster at Rugby School, took over as principal of Gordonstoun in 2024. Green read geography at Edinburgh University and completed his PGCE at St Andrews. He has 17 years of headship and executive leadership experience, having served as a governor in several independent schools.

Admissions

Upon registration, applying students are asked to provide documentation including a copy of their school report and a reference from their current school. A personalised visit and an interview with the senior school head is then arranged. Gordonstoun undertakes its own assessments, and rather than being purely academically selective seeks a range of talents – looking for those students who will suit a mainstream GCSE and A-Level course of study.  

Accessibility

Inverness Airport: 1 hour / Aberdeen International Airport: 1 hour 40 mins

Location

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