Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has published inspection ratings for just four private schools in the 2024–25 cycle, a significantly smaller number after the regulator paused full annual inspections for most schools. The pause, initially announced for 2024–25, has now been extended to 2025–26, allowing schools more time to focus on internal improvement and self-evaluation.

This year, only schools that opened in 2022 received full inspections, while the rest underwent targeted quality assurance visits instead of full reviews.

Previous year snapshot

In 2023–24, Dubai had:

• 23 Outstanding
• 48 Very Good
• 85 Good
• 51 Acceptable
• 2 Weak
• 0 Very Weak

New KHDA ratings for schools opened in 2022

1. Citizens School Dubai — Rated: Good

Location: Al Satwa | Curriculum: UK
Highlights: Innovative curriculum, strong inclusion and student well-being.
Needs improvement: Literacy support, stronger Arabic provision, and more detailed parent reporting.

2. Bloom World Academy — Rated: Good

Location: Al Barsha Second | Curriculum: IB
Strengths: Good progress in core subjects, strong innovation culture, robust extracurriculars.
Focus areas: Better governance and alignment with IB and UAE inspection standards.

3. Durham School Dubai — Rated: Acceptable

Location: Dubai Investments Park | Curriculum: UK
What’s working: Positive behaviour, strong primary phase teaching, strong parent partnerships.
Improvements needed: Teaching consistency, inclusion planning and well-being monitoring.

4. Dubai Schools Nad Al Sheba — Rated: Acceptable

Location: Nad Al Sheba Fourth | Curriculum: American
Highlights: Excellent early-years teaching, strong Emirati heritage focus, safe environment.
To improve: Raise academic expectations, strengthen reading in English and Arabic, and encourage independent learning.