Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
International schools in Abu Dhabi: what families need to know
Abu Dhabi has a large private sector covering British, IB, American and Indian curricula, spread across the island, Khalifa City, Al Reem, Yas and Saadiyat. This guide covers admissions, curricula, the school year, fees, areas and how places actually work here.
US$499 per family · One-time fee · You review the service and the price before you pay.
What you tell us
- Where you are moving
- Abu Dhabi
- Children
- Sofia (age 8) · Luca (age 5)
- Curriculum
- British preferred
- Start
- August
You tell us once, for every child. Your adviser assesses the brief and contacts relevant admissions teams on your behalf.
Example only. School names in these examples are fictional.
Abu Dhabi in short
- Curricula available in Abu Dhabi: British, IB, American, Indian, Ministry of Education.
- The Abu Dhabi school year runs Late August to late June, with the main intake at the start of it.
- Schools are overseen by ADEK (Department of Education and Knowledge).
- Tuition is published per year group by each school. Registration, deposit, transport, uniform, meals and examination entries are normally billed separately.
- Availability is decided per child, per year group and per campus, so two children in one family can get two different answers from the same Abu Dhabi school.
- You tell us what your family needs once, and see matched Abu Dhabi schools with places, fees and next steps.
Prepared by InternationalSchools.orgPublished August 2026Last reviewed September 2026
Abu Dhabi at a glance
The facts that shape a Abu Dhabi school search
- Regulator
- ADEK (Department of Education and Knowledge)
- Main curricula
- British, IB, American, Indian, Ministry of Education
- School year
- Late August to late June
- Ages served
- 3 to 18
How admissions work in Abu Dhabi
Most Abu Dhabi schools follow the same stages, whatever the curriculum.
- 1
Enquire and check the year group
Confirm the year group each child would enter in Abu Dhabi. Age cut-offs differ between systems, so the same child can be placed a year apart in two schools.
- 2
Assessment
Most schools assess before offering a place. This can be a short online task, a classroom visit or a subject test, depending on age.
- 3
Offer, deposit and registration
An offer is usually held only after a registration fee or deposit is paid. Check whether either is refundable before you accept.
Documents to prepare
Some documents can take time to arrange from abroad. Start collecting them before you have chosen a school.
- Passport and, where required, visa or residence documents for each child
- Birth certificate
- School reports for the last two years
- Transfer or leaving certificate from the previous school
- Vaccination and health records
- Any learning support or assessment reports, shared early rather than late
More detail: how international-school admissions work.
Curricula families meet in Abu Dhabi
We explain each system once, in the curricula library, rather than repeating it city by city.
British curriculum
IGCSE and A Level, and how English year groups are set by age.
International Baccalaureate
PYP, MYP and the Diploma, and who the IB suits on a later move.
American curriculum
US grades, high-school credits and AP, with their own placement rules.
Changing curriculum mid-move
What transfers cleanly between systems and where a child may repeat or skip a year.
The Abu Dhabi school year and when to apply
Timing decides how much choice you have. These are the stages most families move through.
Six to nine months ahead
Start looking for the main intake
Popular year groups in Abu Dhabi fill first, and assessment slots become scarce close to the intake.
Three to six months ahead
Assessments and offers
Schools assess, then make offers within days or weeks. Registration fees and deposits usually follow immediately.
One to three months ahead
Places confirmed, waiting lists move
Waiting lists move as leaving families release places, so keep asking rather than assuming a school is closed.
Start of the school year
Term begins
The Abu Dhabi school year runs late August to late June.
Mid-year
In-year entry
Possible, but limited to whichever year groups have room. This is where asking schools directly saves the most time.
What school costs in Abu Dhabi
Published tuition is the starting figure, not the total. These are the charges to budget for.
What the Abu Dhabi market costs, in round numbers
High band- Primary, per year
- AED 25,000 – 70,000
- Secondary, per year
- AED 35,000 – 100,000
- Roughly, in US dollars
- US$7,000 – 27,000
Indicative annual tuition across mainstream international schools, for the stated academic year. Individual schools publish their own fees per year group, the top of each market runs above these ranges, and registration, deposits, transport, uniform, meals and examination entries are billed separately. Figures refer to the 2025/26 academic year. Compare fees across cities.
- Tuition
- Published per year group by each school
- Registration fee
- Charged at application or offer stage, usually non-refundable
- Deposit
- Secures the place and is often deducted from the first term's tuition
- Transport
- School transport is charged separately and varies by distance and route
- Uniform, books, devices
- One-off costs at the start of the year, higher in the first year
- Meals and activities
- Optional at most schools, but a real part of the annual budget
- Examination entries
- IGCSE, A Level, IB and AP entries are billed in the exam years
See also understanding international school fees.
Places and waiting lists
Which Abu Dhabi schools have places for your children?
A place is not something a school has in general. It exists for one year group, at one campus, for one intake. Two children in the same family can get two different answers from the same school on the same day.
School websites cannot tell you this. Availability changes when a family leaves, when a contract ends, or when a new year group opens. That is why relevant schools answer directly instead of publishing a number that would be out of date by the time you read it.
For each child, a Abu Dhabi school can answer that a place is available, that there is a waiting list, that the intake is full, or that it cannot confirm yet. You see the answer, the fees and the next step, and you decide where to focus.
US$499 per family · One-time fee · You review the service and the price before you pay.
Your schools · 2 children · British curriculum · Starting August
Westbrook International School
From the school
North campus · British · Annual fees: Confirmed for your intake
Fees confirmed for the academic year you asked about
- Sofia · Year 4Place availablePlace available for August
- Luca · Year 1Place availablePlace available for August
Next step: Assessment, then offer
Harbour Ridge Academy
From the school
City campus · British · Annual fees: Confirmed for your intake
Fees confirmed for the academic year you asked about
- Sofia · Year 4Place availablePlace available for August
- Luca · Year 1Waiting listWaiting list, reviewed monthly
Next step: Campus visit, then assessment
Elmfield International College
From our team
Main campus · British · Annual fees: Earlier-year reference fee
Fees for your intake not yet confirmed
- Sofia · Year 4Not confirmedPlaces not yet confirmed
- Luca · Year 1Not confirmedPlaces not yet confirmed
Next step: We ask admissions to confirm
Every option says who provided the information and whether places are confirmed. Your adviser explains what each answer means for your children.
Example school options. School names in these examples are fictional.
Choosing where to live in Abu Dhabi
We do not rank areas. These are the questions that decide whether a school works day to day.
Curriculum, and what it means later
British, IB, American and Indian programmes all run in Abu Dhabi. The practical question is which system your children can continue in if you move again.
Where you will actually live
Abu Dhabi island, Khalifa City, Al Raha, Yas and Saadiyat behave like separate school markets once you factor in the daily commute and bus routes.
Total cost, not tuition alone
Registration, seat-reservation deposits, transport, uniform and trips are usually billed separately from tuition.
Availability in the year group you need
A school can have space in one year and a waiting list in the next. Availability is checked year group by year group, not school by school.
Moving to Abu Dhabi with children: a checklist
The school-related steps that decide how smooth the first term is.
- Confirm each child's year group under the curriculum you are moving to in Abu Dhabi.
- Collect and, where required, attest school reports and certificates before you leave.
- Ask schools about places for every child in the same request, not one at a time.
- Check whether registration fees and deposits are refundable if your move date changes.
- Check the visa or residency steps that enrolment can depend on.
- Ask about learning support early, since capacity is decided case by case.
- Line up housing only after you know which school can take all of your children.
See also the moving-abroad timeline.
Moving with more than one child
One school that works for every child, not one child
Most families moving to Abu Dhabi are moving with more than one child, and the hardest part is rarely finding a good school. It is finding one school that can take all of your children in the same year.
Checking each child separately, school by school, is where the search becomes slow. A school that has room in Year 1 may be full in Year 4, and you only learn that after two emails and a wait.
One request covers every child. Each school answers for each child, so you can see immediately where all of your children could start together, and where you would be splitting the family across two schools.
- Ask once for the whole family, not once per child.
- See sibling answers side by side before you contact anyone.
- Ask about sibling priority and start dates while places are still open.
Your schools, side by side
Westbrook International School
- Information
- From the school
- Curriculum
- British
- Area
- North campus
- Annual fees
- Confirmed for your intake
- Next step
- Assessment, then offer
Harbour Ridge Academy
- Information
- From the school
- Curriculum
- British
- Area
- City campus
- Annual fees
- Confirmed for your intake
- Next step
- Campus visit, then assessment
Elmfield International College
- Information
- From our team
- Curriculum
- British
- Area
- Main campus
- Annual fees
- Earlier-year reference fee
- Next step
- We ask admissions to confirm
Westbrook International School
Harbour Ridge Academy
Elmfield International College
Sofia · Year 4
Luca · Year 1
Information
From the school
From the school
From our team
Curriculum
British
British
British
Area
North campus
City campus
Main campus
Annual fees
Confirmed for your intake
Confirmed for your intake
Earlier-year reference fee
Next step
Assessment, then offer
Campus visit, then assessment
We ask admissions to confirm
Example comparison. School names in these examples are fictional.
How schooling works in Abu Dhabi
Private schools in Abu Dhabi are licensed and inspected by ADEK, which publishes school information and inspection outcomes for the emirate.
Regulation and inspection
ADEK licenses private schools in the emirate, approves curricula and runs inspections. Inspection reports describe how a school was judged against a published framework at the time of the visit.
An inspection outcome is a useful input, not a verdict on fit. Two schools with the same rating can suit very different children.
The school year and intakes
Most Abu Dhabi schools run from late August to late June, with the main intake in August or September.
Mid-year joining is common in a relocation market, but availability in the specific year group matters more than the time of year.
Fees and the payment cycle
Tuition is normally invoiced in termly instalments, and a seat is usually only held once a deposit is paid.
Ask for the full fee schedule in writing, including registration, transport, uniform, examination entry and any capital or building contribution.
Arabic, Islamic studies and language
Arabic is taught in private schools in the UAE, and Islamic studies applies to Muslim students, alongside the school's main curriculum.
Ask how the school schedules these subjects and how it supports children joining without prior Arabic.
What families get wrong in Abu Dhabi
The local details that cost families a term, a deposit or a long daily drive.
Assuming Dubai rules apply
Abu Dhabi schools are licensed and inspected by ADEK, with its own fee approvals and inspection framework. A Dubai KHDA rating tells you nothing about the Abu Dhabi campus.
Choosing the island before the school
Traffic on and off Abu Dhabi island at 7am is the difference between a 15-minute and a 50-minute run. Confirm the place, then choose the area.
Missing the Arabic and Islamic studies requirement
These subjects are compulsory under the UAE framework. Ask how a child arriving without Arabic is supported in the year group they enter.
Leaving attestation until after arrival
School records normally need attestation before enrolment completes. Started late, this adds weeks at exactly the wrong moment.
Treating a deposit as refundable
Registration fees and deposits are frequently non-refundable. Ask in writing before you accept an offer.
Official Abu Dhabi resources
Primary sources for regulation, inspection and enrolment. We link out rather than paraphrase.
How InternationalSchools.org works in Abu Dhabi
Tell us what your family needs once, and see matched schools in Abu Dhabi with places, fees and next steps.
- 1
Tell us about your family and Abu Dhabi
Your children's ages and year groups, the curriculum you prefer, your budget and when you want to start. One brief covers every child named in it.
- 2
Your adviser researches Abu Dhabi
A 30-minute consultation, then research of the schools in Abu Dhabi that suit each child, and contact with relevant admissions teams about your start date.
- 3
Receive your recommendations
Three recommended schools plus up to two alternatives where suitable, with written reasoning for each child, a review call and follow-up questions answered for 30 days.
We do not publish scores or predict availability. How we select schools.
Questions families ask about Abu Dhabi
Find international schools in Abu Dhabi for your children
One conversation, every child, answers from the schools themselves.
US$499 per family · One-time fee · You review the service and the price before you pay.
Go deeper on Abu Dhabi
How fees compare across cities
What is published, what is billed separately and how Abu Dhabi compares with the other markets we cover.
Compare the main curricula
British, IB and American side by side, and what a later move between countries changes.
How admissions work
The stages most international schools use, and where relocating families lose time.
Continue reading
Waiting lists and availability
How waiting lists really work, and what to ask before you join one.
School year and intake timing
When places open, and what a mid-year move changes.
How it works
From telling us what you need to answers from the schools themselves.
Other destinations
You can search any destination, published guide or not.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Guide version 3.1. Abu Dhabi information is compiled from official regulators, curriculum authorities and school-published material. Fees, intakes and requirements are set by individual schools and change, so confirm details directly with a school before you rely on them.
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