81% of Dubai students attend private schools rated Good or higher

- 81% of Dubai students attend private schools rated Good or higher
- Nearly 49,500 students benefit from improved inspection ratings at 26 schools
- 90% of schools improve in one or more quality indicators

Aisha Abdulla Miran: These results reaffirm Dubai’s competitiveness as a world-class destination for education, in line with the leadership’s vision set out in the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and Dubai Social Agenda 33

- “The continuous improvement by the schools indicates their commitment to offer high quality educational opportunities for students”
- Dubai schools are among the world’s highest performing, ranking sixth for literacy, top 10 for maths, and top 14 for science and reading

In another demonstration of the continuous improvement in the quality of education, 81% of Dubai students now attend private schools rated Good or higher compared to 77% during last year’s inspection cycle, according to results released by Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). This equates to nearly 49,500 students who have benefitted from this improvement.

A total of 209 schools with more than 360,000 students enrolled were inspected this year, including 10 schools that were inspected for the first time.

A total of 23 schools were rated Outstanding, 48 were rated Very Good, 85 Good and 51 Acceptable, while two were rated Weak with no schools rated as Very Weak. Overall ratings improved for 26 schools while three schools saw a decline in their ratings.

Commenting on the results, Her Excellency Aisha Abdulla Miran, Director General of KHDA, said: “The continuous improvement by the schools indicates their commitment to offer high quality educational opportunities for students. Our schools are among the world’s highest performing, according to international assessments, ranking sixth for literacy in PIRLS, top 10 globally for maths, and top 14 for science and reading in PISA assessments. These results reaffirm Dubai’s competitiveness as a world-class destination for education, in line with the leadership’s vision set out in the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and Dubai Social Agenda 33.”

She added: “We are grateful to the school community, principals, teachers, and parents for their efforts in enriching the learning experiences for students and contributing towards making Dubai one of the top 10 cities in the world for quality education. We look forward to increasing the number of students who are receiving good or better education and providing more distinguished education opportunities to Emirati students.”

Improvement across quality indicators
This year, 90% of schools improved in one or more quality indicators. Of these improvements, 67% are related to student outcomes, 26% to schools’ provisions for learners, and 7% to leadership.

Schools in Dubai improved the progress of students in Arabic as a first language, with 64% of schools rated Good or higher, compared to 52% in the previous year; and 77% of schools rated Good or higher for progress of students in Islamic education, compared to 68% during the 2022-23 academic year.

Private schools in Dubai have made great progress in reducing barriers to learning and ensuring equitable access to education. Inclusive education has improved, with a substantial 76% of schools now providing Good or higher rated provisions for for students of determination.
Wellbeing provision remains a strong focus, with 83% of schools offering wellbeing provision rated Good or higher.

Fatma Belrehif, CEO of Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) said: “Private schools continue to achieve significant improvements in the quality of their overall performance, which reflects the commitment of school leaders and teachers to ensure that high-quality educational opportunities are available to our students.”

She added: “We are proud of the efforts of the education community in Dubai to enhance the quality of education and its global competitiveness. We encourage parents to read the reports and gain insights about the quality of education in their children’s schools. We are committed to work with our education community to raise the quality of education in Dubai and align with the future goals of Dubai.”

Inspections during 2024-25 academic year
Private schools in Dubai will not be subjected to full inspections during the 2024-25 academic year, with the exception of new schools that will complete their third year of operation during the next academic year.

This decision aims to support the teaching and learning process for students and gives schools the opportunity to implement changes to support their development and improvement plans. The DSIB team will conduct quality assurance visits that target specific focus areas to monitor schools’ progress on improvement plans during the next academic year.

Schools that wish to undergo a full inspection may submit a request to the inspection team, which will be subject to review and approval upon KHDA’s discretion.  

Full inspection reports and individual parent summary reports for the 2023-24 academic year are now available on the KHDA website and mobile app. More information about this year’s inspection results is available on this link

Key statistics:
• 209 private schools in Dubai were inspected during the academic year 2023-24.
• 10 schools were inspected for the first time this academic year.
• 19,782 classroom visits carried out by inspectors.
• 4,407 hours of dialogue and discussion with students, parents, and school leaders.
• 81% of students receive an education rated Good or higher.
• 83% of schools offer well-being provision rated Good or higher.