Abu Dhabi residents have plenty of top-rated options when it comes to choosing the best private schools for their children.
There are more than 200 nurseries and schools in the emirate offering various curriculums.
All institutions in Abu Dhabi are periodically inspected by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek) as part of its Irtiqaa evaluation programme. The inspections are usually conducted every two years, and inspectors spend about four days in each school.
The evaluation is based on five main criteria: students’ achievement, personal and social development along with innovation skills of students, quality of teaching and assessment, quality of the curriculum, and the overall school leadership and management.
The schools are rated on a scale using the following categories: Outstanding, Very Good, Good, Acceptable, Weak or Very Weak. Abu Dhabi private schools are now required to display performance ratings on plaques placed prominently at their entrances.
The 2025-2026 fees in this report are from the school websites, where available, or from Tamm. Any fee increases must be approved by Adek and schools are required to display annual fees and easy payment plans on their websites. The amounts mentioned do not include transportation costs, registration fees or other charges.
Listed below are the 13 private schools that currently have an Outstanding rating from Adek (in no particular order). The last rating given is valid until the next inspection.
American Community School, Saadiyat Island
Curriculum: American (Rated Outstanding in 2022-2023)
Fees: Dh56,526 in KG1 to Dh99,060 in Grade 12
The American Community School of Abu Dhabi relocated to Saadiyat Island in 2024, after operating for 50 years from their Bateen Campus.
Cranleigh School, Saadiyat Island
Curriculum: British (Rated Outstanding in 2022-2023)
Fees: Dh71,500 in pre-school to Dh105,980 in Year 13
Cranleigh Abu Dhabi opened in 2014 and is one of the schools under Aldar’s education portfolio.
Repton Foundation School, Al Reem Island
Curriculum: British (Rated Outstanding in 2024-2025)
Fees: Dh63,740 in FS1 to Dh70,700 in Year 2
The primary school on Rose Campus offering FS1, FS2 and Year 1 has a sister school (rated Very Good in 2021-2022) which offers Year 2-13 on its Fry Campus.
Muna British Academy, Al Danah
Curriculum: British (Rated Outstanding in 2022-2023)
Fees: Dh50,936 in FS1 to Dh56,538 in Year 7
The primary-focused school currently offers admissions until Year 7, with plans to expand to Year 13.
Bateen World Academy, Al Manhal
Curriculum: British/International Baccalaureate (IB) (Rated Outstanding in 2024-2025)
Fees: Dh54,000 in FS1 to Dh75,310 in Year 13
Bateen World Academy is part of Aldar Education offering both IB and English National Curriculum. The rating for the school improved to Outstanding in the latest Adek inspections.
The Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for boys, Al Khalidiyah
Curriculum: American (Rated Outstanding in 2024-2025)
Fees: Dh45,000 in pre-school to Dh78,050 in Grade 12
This school is part of the Sheikh Zayed Private Academies group which have a co-ed system from pre-KG to Grade 3, after which students transition into an all-boys or an all-girls school.
The Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for girls, Al Manhal
Curriculum: American (Rated Outstanding in 2024-2025)
Fees: Dh33,910 in pre-school to Dh78,160 in Grade 12
A sister school to the Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for boys, this institution offers Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks as well, in co-ordination with the MOE curriculum.
The British School Al Khubairat, Al Mushrif
Curriculum: British (Rated Outstanding in 2022-2023)
Fees: Dh51,410 in FS1 to Dh74,560 in Year 13
The non-profit school was founded in 1968 and is known as the ‘Embassy School’. It functions under the patronage of the British Ambassador to the UAE, according to the school’s website.
Canadian International School, Khalifa City
Curriculum: Canadian (Rated Outstanding in 2023-2024)
Fees: Dh39,010 in KG 1 to Dh51,820 in Grade 12
This school follows the Canadian Alberta curriculum in co-ordination with the UAE Ministry of Education.
Merryland International School, Mussaffah
Curriculum: British (Rated Outstanding in 2022-2023)
Fees: Dh26,200 in KG1 to Dh46,220 in Grade 12
This school follows the Cambridge International Curriculum (CIE) for core subjects and the National Curriculum of England for non-core subjects.
The British International School, Zayed City
Curriculum: British/International Baccalaureate (IB) (Rated Outstanding in 2021-2022)
Fees: Dh54,204 in FS1 to Dh76,952 in Year 13
The school opened in 2009 and is part of the UK-headquartered Nord Anglia Education group of international schools.
Yasmina British Academy, Khalifa City
Curriculum: British (Rated Outstanding in 2022-2023)
Fees: Dh49,740 in FS1 to Dh67,270 in Year 13
Yasmina British Academy is part of the Aldar Academies family of schools and has also been rated as Outstanding by the British Schools Overseas (BSO).
The inspection report for each school is available to the public and can be downloaded from the Tamm app. You can also filter the school lists by fees, rating, and grade.
Brighton College Al Ain (Bloom Academy)
Curriculum: British (Rated Outstanding in 2022-2023)
Fees: Dh55,090 in FS1 to Dh90,630 in Year 13
The British-curriculum school in Al Ain is part of the Bloom Education group and has also been rated as ‘Outstanding’ by BSO in 2023.
