The Royal High School is situated in the Northwest of Edinburgh, and it is a fully comprehensive, non-denominational High School. Before you apply, please use the Find your catchment school – The City of Edinburgh Council to find your catchment school, and use the year group checker to find out which year group you should apply for.
If your address is within the Royal High School Catchment
Please download the request for school place form, complete and return by email to admissions@royalhigh.edin.sch.uk You should also include a council tax demand notice for your property, a utility bill and birth certificate for your child.
Where possible, the school reserves places for pupils moving into the catchment area. However, we are nearing our maximum capacity and are operating waiting lists for most of our year groups with no guarantee of a place being granted. Please take this into consideration if you are considering moving house.
The application will be processed within 10 working days, the School will contact you thereafter. Please note the start and end of terms are very busy periods so we may take longer to process requests.
If your address is out of catchment
If you do not live within The Royal High School catchment area, please note that the placing requests are only considered after all catchment pupils have been allocated a place. You may download the request for school place form, complete and return it by email to admissions@royalhigh.edin.sch.uk Please note that it is highly unlikely that you will be allocated a place as we currently have out of catchment waiting lists in place for all year groups.
“The dedication of all the school staff is truly commendable. Their passion for teaching, combined with our school’s excellent facilities and grounds, create a wonderful atmosphere for all.”
Apply for a place for children starting in S1 in August 2026
Admissions for children starting S1 for the first time are managed by the Schools Transactions team, the City of Edinburgh Council. If your child is in Primary 7, find out about starting secondary school.
The Schools Transactions team has sent a letter to parents of children in P7 confirming the allocated high school based on the address held on the school record on Friday 10 October 2025. Request to change your catchment school and make a placing request is opened on 31 October 2025. To contact Schools Transactions, please click here.
Other Information:
Please visit Placing in schools appeal – The City of Edinburgh Council for further details.
“Our school makes innovative use of digital technology to enhance learning and provide us with diverse and inclusive opportunities. We are well-equipped for the challenges of the modern world.”