ADEK (Irtiqa'a) school ratings explained

Abu Dhabi's latest Irtiqa'a results

Sector-wide results ADEK published on 1 October 2025.

ADEK also reported that 23 schools moved from Acceptable to Good within one academic year. Shares are rounded.

What Irtiqa'a measures

Irtiqa'a, which means progress, is ADEK's inspection programme for private schools. It works under the UAE Unified School Inspection Framework, the same national framework behind Dubai's KHDA ratings, and evaluates six standards: students' achievement; students' personal and social development, including innovation skills; teaching and assessment; curriculum; protection, care, guidance and support; and leadership and management. Together they include 17 performance indicators.

Inspections are normally carried out every two years. The overall rating sits on a six-point scale: Outstanding, Very Good, Good, Acceptable, Weak and Very Weak. ADEK's school performance plaques, displayed at schools, present the Irtiqa'a rating alongside a separate National Identity Mark, which assesses culture, values and citizenship programmes.

Why Acceptable matters more in Abu Dhabi

ADEK is explicit that Good is the minimum standard for every school in the UAE. Schools rated Acceptable or lower have been subject to restrictions on capacity growth and adding grades, lifted only where improvement is verified, and remain restricted from enrolling new Emirati students until further regulatory requirements are met.

For parents this has two practical effects. A school rated Acceptable may be unable to add places or open a new year group, which matters if you need a sibling place or your child is moving into a phase the school is still building. And for Emirati families, an Acceptable school may simply not be an option for new enrolment.

Reading a rating sensibly

ADEK and KHDA compared

Abu Dhabi and Dubai use the same national framework and the same rating words, so an Outstanding school in Abu Dhabi and one in Dubai have been judged against the same standards. The differences are in publication and consequences: ADEK publishes sector results each year and attaches clear restrictions to ratings below Good, while KHDA's directory shows each school's latest overall rating alongside separate wellbeing and inclusion ratings. Fees are regulated separately in each emirate.

Sharjah's private schools are regulated by its own authority, SPEA, so check its ratings separately if you are comparing schools across the northern emirates.

A short checklist for Abu Dhabi families

• Shortlist by curriculum, location and fees, then compare Irtiqa'a ratings.
• Read the latest inspection report, not just the plaque.
• Ask the school what it is doing about the areas the report flagged.
• If the school is rated Acceptable, ask whether any growth or enrolment restrictions apply to your child's year group.
• Visit, meet teachers, and ask about staff turnover and class sizes.

Where tutoring fits

A school rating is an average across hundreds of pupils. Your child's experience depends on their class, their teachers and their own gaps. One-to-one lessons are most useful for specific needs: catching up after a move between schools or curricula, preparing for IGCSE, A-Level, IB or AP exams, or keeping a strong student stretched.

LiveTutor lessons are one to one, 60 minutes, online, scheduled after school in UAE time, with tutors who teach your child's curriculum.