KHDA school ratings explained

How Dubai's schools are rated today

Overall ratings shown in the KHDA school directory when we checked it on 7 October 2026.

197 of the 207 ratings are dated 2023-24; a few newer schools show a 2024-25 or 2025-26 rating. Counts change as KHDA updates the directory.

What the rating measures

KHDA's Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau was set up by Executive Council Decision 38 of 2007 to give an independent assessment of every private school. Inspections use the UAE's school inspection framework, the same six-point scale used in Abu Dhabi: Outstanding, Very good, Good, Acceptable, Weak and Very weak. The framework covers students' achievement, their personal and social development, teaching and assessment, the curriculum, protection and support, and leadership and management.

The overall rating is a judgement across all of those, and across all phases of the school. A school can be Very good overall but Good in its secondary phase, or Outstanding in early years and Good in Year 10 and 11 results. That is why the report matters more than the headline.

How current are the ratings?

Most ratings in the directory are from 2023-24, with only a handful of newer ones. At its media briefing on 1 October 2026 KHDA said that quality assurance visits to private schools resume during the 2026-27 academic year. In practice, the rating you see may be two or three years old, and a school can have changed leadership, fees or results since.

Newer schools may show no rating at all, or a first rating from a more recent year. A missing rating is not a bad sign in itself; it usually means the school has not been open long enough to be inspected.

What to read beyond the headline

Ratings and fees

KHDA's guidance to parents says it regulates school fees according to the annual Education Cost Index and schools' inspection ratings, so in normal years a better-rated school can be allowed a larger increase. For 2026-27 the question does not arise: KHDA confirmed in May 2026 that no private school in Dubai may raise fees for the year. See our Dubai school fees guide for the full rules on deposits and refunds.

How to use KHDA ratings sensibly

• Shortlist by location, curriculum and fees first, then compare ratings within that list.
• Treat Good as a solid standard; it is the expected minimum in the UAE framework.
• Read the report for your child's phase and for the subjects that matter most to you.
• Check the date of the rating and ask the school what has changed since.
• Visit, ask about teacher turnover and class sizes, and talk to current parents.
• Do not move a settled, happy child solely to chase a higher rating.

Where tutoring fits

A rating describes a whole school, not your child's experience in one class. Even in Outstanding schools, students fall behind after a move, a difficult teacher change or a gap in a particular topic, and even in Acceptable schools strong students thrive with the right support at home.

One-to-one lessons are most useful for a specific need: catching up after joining a new Dubai school, preparing for IGCSE or A-Level exams, or adding stretch the class pace does not allow. LiveTutor lessons are one to one, 60 minutes, online, after school in Dubai time, with tutors who teach your child's curriculum.