Choosing a school in Dubai: KHDA ratings and fees

In Dubai almost every expat kid goes to a private school, you pay for all of it, and the government's inspection rating is the first thing every parent checks.

The short version

Dubai's private schools are licensed and inspected by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). Its ratings run from Outstanding down to Very weak, and they drive both reputation and fees [1][2].
Fees at Outstanding-rated schools ran from about AED 29,500 to AED 112,000 a year for 2026-27, depending on school and year level [2]. KHDA has frozen tuition at Dubai private schools for 2026-27 [1].
British and IB schools dominate. The only full Australian Curriculum school in the UAE, by its own description, is in Sharjah, not Dubai [4].
Arabic, and Islamic education for Muslim students, are compulsory parts of school life in UAE private schools, whatever the curriculum [4][5].
The Dubai school year runs roughly late August to early July, so moving back to Australia's January start needs planning.

How Dubai schooling differs from home

Back home most Australian kids go to a free government school in their catchment, or a Catholic or independent school. In Dubai, government schools are mainly for Emirati children, so expat families are in the private system by default. There's no catchment and no free option. You choose a curriculum, a rating and a fee level, then hope there's a seat.

Thing	Australia	Dubai
Default option	Free local government school	Private school, fee-paying
Who checks quality	State education departments, NAPLAN, My School	KHDA inspections and public ratings [1]
Curriculum	Australian Curriculum (state versions)	17 curricula, mostly British, IB, American and Indian [1]
School year	Late January to mid-December	Late August to early July
Fee rises	Set by each non-government school	Approved by KHDA against an Education Cost Index [3]
Compulsory extras	None nationally	Arabic, Islamic education for Muslim students, moral and social studies

Dubai has about 227 private schools teaching more than 387,000 students from 185 nationalities, and enrolment keeps growing [3]. That growth is why the best-rated schools fill early.

Reading KHDA ratings

KHDA inspects private schools and publishes a rating for each on a six-point scale: Outstanding, Very good, Good, Acceptable, Weak and Very weak. You can look up any school's rating and its full inspection report on the KHDA website and app before you visit.

A few things to know before you lean on the rating:

Ratings were frozen for 2025-26. KHDA kept existing ratings and paused standard full inspections for most private schools that year [2]. A school's rating may be a couple of years old.
New schools have no rating yet. Schools open fewer than three years aren't allowed to apply for fee increases and often haven't been fully inspected [3]. Six new private schools opened in the 2025-26 year alone [1].
The rating is about the whole school. A Good school can have an outstanding primary section, and vice versa. Read the report, not just the headline.

Fees and the 2026-27 freeze

Fee rises in Dubai are controlled. Each year KHDA sets an Education Cost Index based on staff wages, services and rent, and schools apply for an increase up to that level. For 2025-26 the cap was 2.35% [3]. For 2026-27, Dubai's Crown Prince directed that private school fees would not rise at all, as part of an AED 1.5 billion support package [1].

For a rough idea, here's what the 23 Outstanding-rated schools charged for 2026-27 [2]:

Curriculum	Annual fee range at Outstanding schools (2026-27)
British (15 schools)	AED 43,000 to AED 112,000
IB (5 schools)	AED 44,600 to AED 89,900
American (1 school)	AED 66,200 to AED 93,300
Indian (1 school)	AED 38,200 to AED 73,900
French (1 school)	AED 29,500 to AED 62,400

On top of tuition, expect a registration or assessment fee, a seat deposit once you accept a place, uniforms, buses and excursions. Good and Acceptable schools usually cost less, and KHDA says around 230,000 students now attend schools in the affordable segment [1]. If an employer education allowance is part of your package, check whether it covers the full fee or only part of it.

British, IB, American or Australian?

The Australian Curriculum option

Australian International School (AIS) in Sharjah describes itself as the only full Australian Curriculum school in the UAE. It runs from nursery through secondary, and senior students can graduate with the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) and an ATAR, with external assessment by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority [4]. That makes the return to an Australian university simpler than most routes.

The catch is the commute. Sharjah is next door, but the drive from Dubai's southern suburbs can be long in peak traffic. Families who choose it often live in the northern parts of Dubai. Australian-curriculum options inside Dubai have come and gone over the years, so check the KHDA school directory for what's currently licensed.

The common alternatives

British (English National Curriculum). The biggest group. Kids start in Foundation Stage 1 at about age three, and Year 1 starts at about five. That means a Dubai British Year 3 child is roughly in Australian Year 2. GCSEs at 16 and A levels at 18.
IB. The Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes. The IB Diploma is widely accepted by Australian universities, which convert the score to an ATAR-equivalent rank.
American. Grades and a High School Diploma, often with Advanced Placement courses. Usually fine for Australian unis but conversion can be less straightforward than the IB.

For kids who'll go home within a few years, the IB primary and middle programmes travel well because they're inquiry-based rather than tied to one country's content. For kids finishing Year 12 overseas, the QCE or IB Diploma make the Australian university step easiest.

Arabic, Islamic studies and moral education

Every private school in the UAE, whatever its curriculum, teaches some subjects set by the UAE. Arabic is taught to all students, at a non-native level for non-Arabic speakers. Islamic education is compulsory for Muslim students. Moral education and social studies, covering UAE history and values, are taught too [4][5]. From 2025-26, Arabic is also compulsory for every child in private kindergartens, with Islamic education for Muslim children and play-based social studies about the UAE [5].

For an Aussie kid this usually means several Arabic lessons a week. It's a real bonus, but it takes timetable space that might otherwise go to a second European language or extra sport.

Admissions: timing is everything

Dubai's popular schools can have waitlists for some year groups, especially in the early years and in family suburbs like Arabian Ranches, Dubai Hills and the Springs. Here's the usual order.

Shortlist by area. Start with your likely neighbourhood. The school run in summer heat and traffic is a real quality-of-life issue.
Check the KHDA rating and report for each school, and note the fee for your child's year level.
Register online early. Many schools open applications a year or more ahead and charge a non-refundable registration fee. Apply to more than one.
Book an assessment. Older kids usually sit an entry assessment or interview. Younger ones may have a play-based session.
Gather documents. Expect passports, residence visa or Emirates ID once you have them, birth certificates, recent school reports and a transfer certificate from the Australian school. Ask the school early which documents need attestation, because getting Australian papers attested from Dubai takes time.
Pay the seat deposit to hold the place, then settle term fees by the deadline.

Arriving mid-year is possible, but Outstanding schools may have no spare seats until August. Many families take a Good school as a stopgap and stay on the waitlist.

Coming back to Australia

Plan the exit when you plan the entry. The Dubai year ends in early July, and the Australian year starts in late January, so a family moving home in July lands mid-year. Your child may be placed by age in their state, which can mean repeating or skipping part of a year. Keep every report, assessment and the transfer certificate from the Dubai school, because your Australian school will want them.

For senior students, timing matters more. Finishing the IB Diploma or the QCE in one system is far easier than switching in Year 11. Our guide to schooling Australian kids abroad covers ATAR conversion and re-enrolment in more detail.

If something goes seriously wrong for an Australian family in the UAE, the Australian Consulate-General in Dubai is at BurJuman Business Tower, and the Embassy is in Abu Dhabi [6]. Schooling choices are your own call, though, and that's where other parents help most. Ask in Cooee UAE, our Facebook group for Australians in the UAE, which schools other Aussie families picked and why.

Choosing a school in Dubai: KHDA ratings, curricula and the Aussie options