Since there are no Ministry of Education-funded public schools in the UAE for non-GCC expats, unless they home school their children, most other expats send their kids to private schools.

As approximately 85% of Dubai children attend private schools, the education system in Dubai is very diverse with so many international schools, each with different curricula, language of instruction, and fee structures to choose from. All public and private schools are supervised by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) which issues annual reports on each school in Dubai.

Most of the better schools have comprehensive athletic and music programmes with extra-curricular activities such as swimming, football, tennis, dance, and music classes.
Find out how to Choose the Right School for your Child 

As many of the most popular schools have long waiting lists, be sure to start your search early and ask neighbours and friends to recommend schools or generally ask around about the schools you are interested in.

The School Year

Similar to the UK and the US, the UAE education system is generally segmented into three terms: Autumn (mid-September to mid-December), Spring (early January to early April), and Summer (mid-April to early July), with some variation depending on when religious holidays fall.

Admission Requirements

There are rigorous requirements to even apply for schools so check the website of the school you are interested in to find out which documents you will require.

Before leaving your home country, you should have copies of your child’s school records for at least the last two years and any transfer certificates.

Some unscrupulous schools have in the past charged exorbitant fees to register your child, with no guarantees of acceptance so make sure you don’t pay more than AED 500 for registration. See Registration fees


Categories of Schools
Nurseries, Pre-Schools, Kindergartens

Most pre-schools don’t accept children younger than a year old, although there are some that may cater to babies. As some schools have very long waiting lists, it might not be a bad idea to do some research as soon as you are pregnant!

Some of the larger primary schools may have nursery facilities which would be handy if you have an older child.
See news about nurseries.

Primary and Secondary Schools

Generally primary school is for children aged four or five to about 11 years with secondary school starting from age 11 to about 18 years.

Most expats choose schools that have a similar curriculum to their home country or the country they expect their child to attend university. Popular curricula include the National Curriculum for England, International Baccalaureate American, Canadian, GCSE, and A levels.

Fees vary widely depending on the quality of the school facilities. See Dubai School Fees for a more comprehensive list of schools, school fees, website addresses, and contact information. The fees listed only include tuition and not fees for sports, art, excursion, books, medical fees, uniforms and school buses, which are all additional.
See news about schools.

Below is a description of just three of the private schools in Dubai.

International School of Choueifat in Dubai

The Dubai Choueifat School is one of nine schools in The International Schools of Choueifat group, which is a member of the SABIS® School Network. SABIS® is a global education management organisation with more than 120 years in the operation of Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten to Grade 12 schools.

The Dubai campus has a library, three computer labs, three science labs, exam hall, a large auditorium and a large cafeteria. Its athletic facilities include gymnastics and ballet rooms, a large multipurpose air-conditioned sports hall, a gymnasium, two swimming pools, a grass football field, outdoor courts, car tracks for younger students, playground equipment and indoor air-conditioned play areas.

See Dubai School Fees  for school fees and contact information.

Dubai College

Dubai College is a middle and secondary school (Years 7 to 13) located in the heart of the New Dubai district offering a slightly adapted English National Curriculum in the Lower School (Years 7 to 9), GCSE during the Middle School (Years 10 and 11), and the AS level for the Sixth Formers.

Spread over nineteen acres, Dubai College features well-equipped classrooms, specialist facilities include a science block with thirteen laboratories, three design and technology suites, five computer suites, four art studios, a canteen and a music centre with teaching and recital areas, 12 practice rooms and even a recording studio. There are also three drama studios, a library, a dedicated Sixth Form Centre and a state-of-the-art 900 seat auditorium.

The extensive physical education programme includes large playing fields, cricket nets, four all-weather tennis courts, a competition-size swimming pool, and a multi-purpose hall.
See Dubai School Fees

Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)

Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) is a group of schools based on the National Curriculum of England. There is a primary school located in Jumeirah and one in the Arabian Ranches. The Secondary School is also located in the Arabian Ranches.

JESS Jumeirah has great sports facilities including a six lane 25 metre swimming pool as well as a 12 metre learner pool, a newly refurbished multi-purpose hall which doubles as an indoor facility during the hotter months to play netball, football, badminton and basketball, an all-weather astro turf pitch, PE studio for younger children for gymnastics and dance, a netball court, and outdoor play areas.

Established in 2005, the Arabian Ranches campus for both the primary and secondary schools has modern sports facilities with two temperature-controlled swimming pools (a 25 metre, nine-lane pool and a smaller 10m x 15m training pool for younger, less confident swimmers), an outdoor court which is used either as four tennis courts or three netball courts, and one of the largest, grassed school sports fields in Dubai (used by visiting rugby 7s teams for practice!).

Its air-conditioned sports indoor facilities including a 1000 square metre sports hall for netball, basketball, badminton, volleyball, trampolining and gymnastics, a PE studio, and play areas ensure that its students have active fun all year-round.

See Dubai School Fees for school fees and contact information.

Universities, Colleges and other Training Institutions

The post-secondary institution landscape in the UAE is becoming increasingly populated with many international universities opening up campuses here in the UAE or having affiliations with local schools.

Most of the educational institutions are located in Knowledge Village or Dubai Academic City.
See Universities & courses

Considering an MBA? See MBA for information about whether or not to do get an MBA and a list of some of the schools offering an MBA in the UAE.