Dubai’s private school sector sees continued strong growth

Dubai’s private school sector continues to see robust growth with the addition of 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, further enhancing the strong momentum of Dubai’s education landscape.

Currently, Dubai is home to a total of 220 private schools, which enrolled over 326,000 students in the 2022-23 academic year. In recent years, the emirate’s education landscape has seen rapid expansion and diversification with the launch of new schools representing a wide range of curricula from across the world. The last four years alone have seen the establishment of 27 new private schools, further adding to the richness and depth of the sector.

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 schools currently offer a total of 17 curricula representing diverse countries, languages and educational methodologies, reflecting the city’s status as an attractive global investment and lifestyle destination and its inclusive and cosmopolitan ethos. British curricula account for the highest share of syllabi with 36% followed by India with 25%, US with 15% and International Baccalaureate (IB) with 7%. Dubai is also home to private schools that offer Chinese, Japanese, German, French, Australian, Spanish and Filipino curricula, among others.