Where will I find records relating to a pupil who attended school prior to 1873?

If you know which part of Scotland someone came from, but not the name of the school(s) the pupil attended go to the FAQ How can I find out which schools operated in a particular place at a particular time?

Records created by schools themselves for this period are very rare, but some pupil records exist in the form of subscription lists (those pupils for whom school fees were paid in any given term or year). The records of most private schools are held by schools themselves, but the surviving historical records of some have been deposited in the National Records of Scotland. Others, held privately, have been surveyed by the Business Archives Council (Scotland) and the National Register of Archives for Scotland.

You should :

1. Look at the online catalogues of the local authority archives service which covers the location of the school or contact relevant the archives service. (See YSA contacts);
2. Check the Discovery website <https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ > [accessed 26 April 2024] using the name of the school. This will tell you whether the records of the school are held by an archives service or have been surveyed by the National Register of Archives for Scotland;
3. Check if the records have been surveyed by the Business Archives Council (Scotland);
4. If the school itself still exists, check with the School Secretary or Head Teacher.