Many schools are operating below their capacity One in nine primary schools is operating with at least 60% of its places unfilled, figures obtained by the BBC suggest.
A leading authority on local government predicts mass closures as councils try to cope with expected unprecedented cuts in public spending.
Prof Richard Kerley of Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, said closures were “inescapable”.
Typically education accounts for about 40% of a council’s entire budget.
However, it is not ringfenced against the anticipated major cuts in public spending.
Audit Scotland figures indicate the extent of the underoccupancy in schools.
It is most common in the Highlands and Islands but also evident in urban areas such as Dundee.
The Scottish Rural Schools Network is appealing to politicians in local and central government to value the quality of education in small schools and consider the potential affect on a village or island community if closure went ahead.
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