Dubai

Choosing a school in Dubai as an expat family

7 min read · updated 2026-10-02

Dubai has one of the widest choices of private schools in the world: 227 schools teaching 387,441 pupils in 2024-25. The right one depends on your child's current curriculum, where you may move next, and which universities are in view.

The curricula, by share of pupils

KHDA figures for 2024-25:

✓ UK curriculum: 37% of pupils, across 90 British-curriculum schools
✓ Indian curriculum: 26%
✓ US curriculum: 14%
✓ IB: 7%
✓ UK/IB hybrid (usually IGCSE then the IB Diploma): 4%

How to choose

Questions that narrow the list quickly:

✓ Will you move again? A curriculum used in your likely next country makes the switch easier
✓ Which universities are realistic? UK courses suit A-Levels or the IB; US universities suit the American route or the IB
✓ What does the school's KHDA inspection report say? Reports rate schools from Outstanding to Very weak
✓ Is there a waiting list for your child's year group, and what are the full annual costs beyond tuition?
✓ How does the school support children who arrive mid-way through a course?

Moving between curricula

Switching curriculum is easiest at natural break points: before Year 10 for IGCSEs, or before the IB Diploma or A-Levels at 16. A mid-course move often leaves gaps, especially in maths, which a few weeks of targeted tutoring can close before they show up in grades.