Stewart's Melville College

Independent School for boys aged 12 - 18, in Edinburgh

Established over 150 years ago, Stewart’s Melville College is proud to be one of Scotland’s leading independent schools, for boys, aged 12 to 18 years. It is a vibrant school, where extraordinary opportunities and inspirational teachers help students to discover their own unique potential.

The School offers a sector-leading, rounded education, with a broad curriculum, outstanding academic results, strong pastoral care and nearly 100 extra-curricular activities. This all-round approach gives every student the opportunity to excel.

We are proud to have won many awards, including being finalists for the Independent Boys’ School of the Year Award and our Silver Mental Health Award from the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools.

We strongly believe in our five values which sit at the heart of everything we do. Together they inspire students to develop good hearts and to make a positive difference to the world in which they will live and work.

An impressive school with terrific results.

Good Schools Guide
Read the full review

Sport for everyone

550 boys played for one or more of the 62 Stewart’s Melville teams in 15 sports last session

An inspiring place to learn

Incredible facilities including a state of the art performing arts centre, sports centre, new fitness suite, AstroTurfs and extensive playing fields at Inverleith

Opportunities in the Performing Arts

Over 30 concerts, musicals and dramatic productions each session

Fun outside the classroom

A wide-ranging programme of both curricular and extra-curricular day trips, overnight visits, camps, tours, cultural exchanges and expeditions, including this one teaching English in Malawi

Part of the ESMS family of schools

All of the benefits of single-sex education but closely twinned with The Mary Erskine School for girls through our shared house system and co-educational trips, shows and more

Outdoor education

Children are offered a range of opportunities to be challenged and learn new skills through outdoor education

Single-sex but closely twinned with The Mary Erskine School

The ESMS model combines the academic benefits of single-sex education with the social advantages of co-educational, giving students the best of both worlds. Children are taught together in the Junior School to help them build positive relationships with the opposite sex. As they approach their teenage years students are taught separately with boys moving to Stewart's Melville College and girls to The Mary Erskine School. They remain closely connected through a shared House system and a range of co-education activities, including trips, shows and orchestras. At Sixth Form the students then come back together again for a pre-University experience that will help your son prepare for life beyond school.

School Coach Service

For those students who live further away from school, we offer a daily coach service across Edinburgh, the Lothians, and Fife.

Opportunities at Stewart’s Melville College

At Stewart’s Melville College we can offer your child extraordinary opportunities. Students from the school have represented their country at sport, formed The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo choir and gone on incredible trips to diverse locations including Malawi, Vietnam, New Zealand, South Africa and China.

Find out more about life at school below or click here for Admissions information.

Take a Tour of our School

Click here to enjoy our 360° Virtual Tour of Stewart's Melville College; an inspiring place to learn with our traditional Old College, built by renowned architect David Rhind in 1848, complemented with state-of-the-art modern facilities. In addition, we have extensive playing fields at Inverleith that are used for rugby, hockey and cricket.

" ...One of the biggest strengths of Stewart’s Melville College has to be the wide array of achievements by people in a multitude of contexts."

Joe Ewing, Former SMC Pupil