Partly at Elphinstone's instance, in 1496 he also passed what has been described as Scotland's first education act, which dictated that all barons and freeholders of substance had to send their eldest sons and heirs to school for a certain time.
Dijelom na Elphinstoneovo inzistiranje, 1496. usvojio je akti koji je opisan kao prvi škotski zakon o obrazovanju, koji je propisao da svi baruni i važniji samostalni posjednici moraju poslati svoje najstarije sinove u školu na određeno vrijeme.