Discover international schools in Dubai

Private schools in Dubai are licensed by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), which inspects them through the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau against the UAE School Inspection Framework and governs how much a school may increase fees in a given year.

An inspection outcome describes performance against a national framework at the time of inspection. It does not tell you whether a school suits your child's year group, curriculum path or daily journey, which is what usually decides the outcome for a family.

Most Dubai curricula run from late August or early September to June or July, while some schools following Indian curricula run an April start. Confirm the calendar with the school, because it decides which intake you are applying for.

For an August or September start, six to nine months of lead time is realistic. Assessment slots become scarce close to the intake.

Dubai schools cluster in dedicated education areas and in the newer residential communities, and several school groups run more than one campus in the city.

Availability is held at year-group level on a specific campus, so two campuses of the same group can give different answers in the same week. Always ask about your child's exact year group at the campus you would actually attend.

Dubai schools typically ask for a passport and visa page, Emirates ID once issued, birth certificate, recent school reports, a transfer or leaving certificate and vaccination records. Some documents may need attestation, which takes time to arrange from abroad.

Age cut-offs differ between systems, so the same child can be placed a year apart in two schools that both look correct on paper. Confirm placement with the school rather than converting year numbers yourself.