Education in Shetland
Pre-school and schools
In 2025 there were:
- 24 Local Authority nurseries, 23 of which were based in schools
- 24 schools with primary departments only
- 6 schools with primary and secondary departments
- 1 school with a secondary department only
- 369 nursery pupils
- 1,631 primary pupils
- 1,480 secondary pupils
- 314 full time equivalent nursery and school teaching staff
Further education
Shetland has one college, Shetland UHI, which was founded in August 2021, from the merger of the North Atlantic Fisheries College, Shetland College and Train Shetland. The new college is a partner of the University of Highlands and Islands.
UHI Shetland statistics 2023/24:
- 1,685 students enrolled, 95% of which were enrolled in part time courses
- 92% of full time and 97% of part time students completed or partially completed their course
Modern Apprenticeships
During 2024/25 there were 200 new start modern apprentices in Shetland, and 356 apprentices in training as at 31st March 2025.
Of those who left the Modern Apprenticeship programme in 2023/24, 84.5% achieved their apprenticeship. This is higher than the Scottish average achievement rate of 79.8%.