A guide to nine top-ranked Abu Dhabi schools with tuition fees under Dh45,000


Anam Rizvi
  • English
  • Arabic

Good-quality education in Abu Dhabi does not have to cost a fortune, with many of the top-ranked schools in the emirate charging less than Dh45,000 ($12,250) a year for tuition.

While school fees vary greatly across the emirate, some charge more than double that of others, despite having the same inspection rating.

However, sending your child to a highly reputed school does not have to be prohibitively expensive as the emirate has a host of cheaper schools offering a high level of education.

Depending on your child's grade, some yearly fees start as low as Dh9,850.

The majority of affordable schools ranked outstanding and very good in Abu Dhabi follow the British curriculum, while a few follow the Indian, American, Ministry of Education or Japanese curriculums.

Inspection ratings for private schools in the emirate were last published by Abu Dhabi's Department of Education and Knowledge in April 2023.

As part of the evaluation, schools were judged in several categories, including pupils’ achievement, personal and social development, innovation skills, teaching and assessment, and leadership and management of the school.

While a very good school was deemed as exceeding expectations, an outstanding school was noted as substantially exceeding expectations.

The National has put together a guide on some of Abu Dhabi's leading schools with fees under Dh45,000 per year.

Private International English School

Private International English School. Victor Besa / The National
Private International English School. Victor Besa / The National

Curriculum: Indian

Location: Mohamed Bin Zayed City

Fees: From Dh10,200 (kindergarten) to Dh19,300 (grade 12)

Rating: Very Good

Noted as one of the most affordable schools rated very good by ADEK, Private International English School is managed by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Middle East, a premier institution providing education in India. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan was founded in 1938.

The school was established in 2010 and offers the Indian CBSE curriculum.

The school in Mussaffah was rated very good in 2023 by ADEK. The school’s website says it is the first Indian CBSE school to be rated very good in the emirate.

Its vision and mission is to ensure pupils are global citizens who are socially adjusted, emotionally balanced and technically talented.

Al Bashair Private School

Al Bashair Private School. Victor Besa / The National
Al Bashair Private School. Victor Besa / The National

Curriculum: Ministry of Education

Location: Mohamed Bin Zayed City

Fees: From Dh12,900 (kindergarten) to Dh27,200 (grade 12)

Rating: Very Good

The only Ministry of Education curriculum private school on the list was established in the emirate in 1993.

The school’s aim is to be one of the emirate’s leading educational institutions, keeping pace with international standards.

The school received a very good rating for its high-quality education and pupil care in 2022-23.

It takes in pupils from kindergarten to grade 12.

Al Basma Private School

Al Basma Private School. Photo: Al Basma Private School
Al Basma Private School. Photo: Al Basma Private School

Curriculum: British

Location: Al Bahya, Abu Dhabi

Fees: From Dh22,040 (foundation stage two) to Dh40,560 (year 13)

Rating: Very Good

Al Basma Private School prides itself on offering state of the art facilities across primary and secondary buildings with 18 subject dedicated labs and eight sports facilities.

The school houses 1,800 pupils and 200 staff.

Fees start from Dh22,040 up to Dh40,560.

The school received a Very Good rating for its top-quality education in 2022-23.

Japanese School in Abu Dhabi

The Japanese School in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Japanese Private School
The Japanese School in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Japanese Private School

Curriculum: Japanese

Location: Al Bateen in Abu Dhabi

Fees: From Dh17,250 (kindergarten) to Dh38,180 (grade 9)

Rating: Very Good

The school provides a high quality of education for Japanese and Emirati pupils in the emirate, from kindergarten to grade nine.

Pupils at the school clean the classrooms and passageways so that they develop good habits early on.

The school runs small classroom sizes of five to 15 pupils and has only one class per grade so that children get personalised attention.

Japanese School of Abu Dhabi was established in 1978 and it claims that all pupils at the school are fluent in Japanese within three years.

Most of the lessons at the school are taught in Japanese, while Emirati pupils take basic English from grade four and standard English starts in grade seven.

The school only runs to grade nine and pupils who wish to continue in the same curriculum can move to a high school in Japan.

The Cambridge High School

The Cambridge High School.
The Cambridge High School.

Curriculum: British

Location: MBZ City

Fees: From Dh15,230 (foundation stage two) to Dh32,100 (year 13)

Rating: Very Good

The school has a dual focus on promoting a holistic education by providing students with valued based curriculum and a wide range of activities.

Founded in 1988, The Cambridge High School offers a British-based curriculum that is aligned to the General Certificate of Secondary Education, AS and A Levels.

The school is set in a spacious campus which is divided into two sections: the primary school and secondary school.

Fees start from Dh15,230 through to Dh32,100

Merryland International School

Merryland International School in Abu Dhabi. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National
Merryland International School in Abu Dhabi. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National

Curriculum: British

Location: Mussaffah

Fees: From Dh23,500 (kindergarten) to Dh41,100 (year 12)

Rating: Outstanding

Merryland International School in Mussaffah earned the top rank of outstanding for the first time in 2018. Annual fees at the school start at Dh23,500.

The school aims to educate future astronauts and rocket scientists and has a 3D laboratory, a robotics lab and a weather station.

The school is accredited by the University of Cambridge and offers Cambridge Primary, Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge AS & A level courses.

Pearl Primary School

The Pearl Academy School in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
The Pearl Academy School in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Curriculum: British

Location: Al Dhafrah, Abu Dhabi

Fees: From Dh43,150 (foundation stage one) to Dh43,150 (year six)

Rating: Outstanding

The primary school prides itself on its family feel and works to nurture adaptable, creative future leaders.

The inclusive British primary school is located in central Abu Dhabi on Muroor Road.

Pupils at the school get priority placement at Aldar Education's secondary schools.

Gems Cambridge International School

Gems Cambridge International School. Photo: Charles Verghese
Gems Cambridge International School. Photo: Charles Verghese

Curriculum: British

Location: Baniyas City, Abu Dhabi

Fees: From Dh21,300 (foundation stage one) to Dh36,220 (year 13)

Rating: Very Good

Gems Cambridge International School's mission is to ensure all learners are high performers in a fully inclusive learning environment.

The school is located in the Baniyas City area of Abu Dhabi.

It follows the British curriculum and many of its students go on to attend some of the world's most prestigious universities including the University of Oxford, Harvard University in Massachusetts and the University of Cambridge.

Belvedere British School

Belvedere British School. Photo: Ramona Ruiz/Anwar Hajikaram
Belvedere British School. Photo: Ramona Ruiz/Anwar Hajikaram

Curriculum: British

Location: Musaffah, Abu Dhabi

Fees: From Dh24,280 (foundation stage two) to Dh31,590 (year 13)

Rating: Very Good

Belvedere British School earned a Very Good ranking in 2021-22. School fees start from Dh24,280.

The school follows the British curriculum and aims to prepare students for life, based on the values of tolerance, respect and responsibility.

The curriculum offers a broad and predominantly academic education for pupils from four to 16 years old, with many students going on to study biology, chemistry, business studies, geography and English literature at A Level.

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

Updated: May 23, 2023, 12:33 PM`