The UAE has the second-largest international schools market in the world. China, the world’s most populous country, has the largest number of international schools. However, with more than 80 per cent of the country’s population comprising of expatriates, the UAE has the world’s largest international school student population.

According to a report by market intelligence and research firm International Schools Consultancy (ISC), the country had 653 international schools in 2019. Of those, 323 offered the British curriculum, the UAE’s most popular curriculum. About 250,000 students were enrolled in UAE schools that follow the British education system.

Despite schools offering fee discounts and rebates in the wake of the pandemic, the cost of school education in the UAE remains significantly higher than the world average. A 2017 HSBC report said the UAE’s school fees are the second-highest in the world. It found the cost for sending a child to school in the UAE was $62,544 (Dh230,000), second only to Hong Kong ($77,149). Adding university fees, the cost of a child’s education in UAE stood at $99,378 (Dh365,000), trailing Hong Kong’s average spend of $132,161 ($211,371 if paid-for; $96,735 if state-funded).

Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) is Dubai’s education regulator. According to KHDA’s Dubai Private Education Landscape report, the emirate’s schools generated average revenue of Dh36.7 million per school, with individual students paying an average of Dh24,800 in annual tuition fees.

Dubai is home to 210 schools offering 17 different curricula. The city will welcome 120 new schools over the next 10 years, with 10 of those set to open in the 2021-22 academic year. In 2012, the KHDA introduced a school fee framework that allows schools to hike their fees only if they meet specified performance standards. The rationale behind this is that parents should only pay more if their children are offered better quality education. Schools that do not meet minimum performance standards are not entitled to a hike in fees.

The KHDA provides an annual rating of Dubai’s schools. It ranks the schools on a 5-point scale: Outstanding, Very Good, Good, Acceptable and Weak. In January 2021, the KHDA published the ratings of all schools in Dubai.

Outstanding Schools: 5 stars

Very Good Schools: 4 Stars

Good Schools: 3 Stars

Acceptable Schools: 2 Stars

New Schools Awaiting Ratings in 2021