Pupil and teacher characteristics 2025 published

9 Dec 2025 02:02 PM

An accredited official statistics publication for Scotland.

The number of teachers in Scotland in 2025 increased to 53,475 full-time equivalents (FTE), a rise of 63 FTE compared to last year. Pupil numbers also decreased compared to last year, dropping by 6,505 to 695,923. The pupil–teacher ratio (PTR)—a measure of the size of the teaching workforce relative to the pupil population—decreased from 13.3 to 13.2.

The proportion of Teacher Induction Scheme probationers that secured a teaching post in a Scottish school in the year following their probation increased to 69% from 65% for the previous cohort. This has been driven by an increase in the proportion of probationers securing a temporary post; the proportion of probationers securing a permanent post has decreased.

The overall average class size in primary schools was 23.1, down from 23.3 in 2024.

Background

Pupil and teacher characteristics 2025 brings together headline statistics from the annual censuses on pupils and teachers. These statistics were previously published in the Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland publication series. That publication series has been replaced by three separate series covering:

• pupils and teachers (this publication)
• attendance, absence and exclusions
• early learning and childcare

The complete set of statistics over time, as well as statistics containing more detailed breakdowns, are available for pupils and teachers. A limited release of the 2025 edition of these supplementary statistics is available now and the full updates are scheduled for March.

A dashboard with further breakdowns of post-probationer teacher statistics was yesterday published.

Official statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics.