Dubai adds new private schools in 2023-24 academic year

Dubai’s private school sector has added five new private schools in the 2023-24 school academic year.

According to the latest data released by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), the new schools, offering British and Indian curricula, have added 12,000 seats.

Currently, Dubai is home to a total of 220 private schools, which enrolled over 326,000 students in the 2022-23 academic year.

The last four years alone have seen the establishment of 27 new private schools, representing a wide range of curricula from across the world, according to the Dubai Media Office.

Dr Abdulla Al Karam, director general of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) said: “The increase in the number of private schools further supports the leadership’s vision to create one of the world’s leading private education sectors.

“The addition of five new schools in the 2023-24 academic year is testament to the dynamism of the sector and the solid investment environment offered in Dubai.

“KHDA is keen to work closely with the education community to meet the needs of Dubai’s growing population and expand the capacity of the private school sector. We are also committed to ensuring that the world-class education provided in Dubai enhances its status as one of the world’s best cities to live, work and invest in.”

Dubai’s private school sector continues to see robust growth with the addition of 5 new private schools in the 2023-24 school academic year. According to the latest data released by the @KHDA, the new schools, offering British and Indian curricula, have added 12k seats, further… pic.twitter.com/5JnrNJv9NS

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) August 29, 2023

Dubai private schools offer diverse curricula

Dubai’s private schools currently offer a total of 17 curricula representing diverse countries, languages and educational methodologies, reflecting the city’s inclusive and cosmopolitan ethos.

British curricula account for the highest share of syllabi with 36 per cent followed by India with 25 per cent, US with 15 per cent and International Baccalaureate (IB) with 7 per cent.

Dubai has private schools that offer Chinese, Japanese, German, French, Australian, Spanish and Filipino curricula, among others.

Read: KHDA reveals top private schools for 2023

Also read: UAE: Schools welcome more than 290,000 students on Aug 28

In other news, private schools in Dubai are eligible for a 3 per cent increase in tuition fees for the 2023-24 academic year, according to KHDA.

The rate by which schools can increase fees is tied to each school’s most recent inspection rating from the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau.

Under the School Fees Framework, private schools that maintain the same inspection rating will be eligible for increase their fees by 3 per cent. Schools dropping in the annual ratings will not be eligible for any fee increase.

Schools that improve their rating in the most recent inspections will be eligible to increase their fees according to the methodology outlined in the School Fees Framework.