Dollar Academy
Dollar, Clackmannanshire, Scotland
Dollar Academy
Dollar, Clackmannanshire, Scotland
Overview
Dollar, located in a beautiful country town within easy reach of Scotland’s major cities, is recognised as one of Scotland’s leading independent schools, distinguished by its excellence in pastoral care, extra‑curricular provision and classroom teaching. Enjoyment of learning lies at the heart of this school and the aim is for all pupils to gain satisfaction from a real commitment to study and participation in the great range of sporting, arts and cultural activities on offer.
At a glance
Academic
The academic standards at Dollar are high. Pupils undertake internationally recognised SQA examination courses and in a typical year over 65% of exam results are at Grade A. There are over 25 subjects on offer, class sizes are small and pupils benefit from impressive, well-equipped teaching facilities. Almost every student at Dollar will go on to their choice of university, with over 45% gaining places at prestigious Russell Group universities.
Boarding
There are around 75 full-time boarders in Dollar’s 3 excellent boarding houses, where live-in husband and wife housemaster/mistress teams welcome new pupils into a caring and attentive environment. All houses offer living/common rooms, study areas and WiFi. The full boarding experience provides pupils with a busy schedule of sporting, cultural and social activities, whilst several hundred day pupils live locally so boarders have a wide circle of friends, both in and out of the boarding house.
Sports
Dollar has a single 70-acre campus and the extensive indoor and outdoor facilities include acres of playing fields and courts, a well equipped fitness suite, a 25m swimming pool and a rifle range. All pupils are encouraged to involve themselves in sport and coaching is available at every level, from beginners to elite performers. There are over 30 different sports on offer, from fencing to football, and a significant number of pupils have gone on to achieve international sporting success.
Creative arts
All pupils have the opportunity to express, explore and develop their creative instincts at Dollar. The Maguire Art & Design Building houses a computer and digital imaging suite and darkroom, along with sculpture, pottery and ceramics facilities, whilst the Music department boasts a 280 seat auditorium with a state of the art recording facility. The studio theatre puts on regular productions and the Arts are united each year by the school musical, watched by an audience of thousands.
Did you know?
- Founded in 1818, Dollar was one of the first day and boarding schools in the world to accept both boys and girls on a co-educational basis.
- Sir James Dewar, inventor of the vacuum flask, was a former pupil.
