British curriculum most popular in Dubai, but American schools top choice for Emiratis

Regulator's report shows one in three teachers is Indian, while Ahmed is the most common name among pupils

Dubai's private school market has expanded to more than 200 schools. All graphics: Dubai Media Office

More than 320,000 children study in the city's private schools.

The Hessa Street/Al Khail Road corridor is home to dozens of schools - and experiences heavy traffic.

Four in every five teachers are women, while the bulk of school staff are Indian or British.

The British curriculum remains the most popular choice in Dubai, but Emirati families prefer to send their children to American schools, a report reveals.

The findings released by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, the emirate's private education regulator, show 36 per cent of pupils in Dubai study in British schools.

The Indian curriculum is the second most popular, attended by 26 per cent of pupils, followed by the American curriculum, attracting 15 per cent of pupils.

Only 7 per cent of children go to International Baccalaureate schools and 4 per cent choose the UK/IB hybrid curriculum.

The remaining 12 per cent attend other curriculum schools.

The majority of Emirati pupils enrolled in private schools — 60 per cent — go to American schools, followed by 24 per cent at British schools.

The report also found that four out of every five teachers are women. Indians make up 31 per cent of teachers, while 17 per cent are British and 10 per cent Egyptian.

The most common name for pupils is Ahmed.

There has been a sharp rise in private school enrolment. It increased to more than 326,000 this month, up from 303,262 pupils in April.

The number of private schools in Dubai increased to 216 in the 2022-23 academic year with the opening of four new schools. Together, they offer 17 curriculums.

The emirate is home to 216 private schools, of which 80 follow the British curriculum, 40 are American, 32 follow the Indian boards and 17 are IB schools.

Many of the top-rated schools in the city follow the UK curriculum.

“These enrolment figures represent healthy, sustainable growth, and show the trust that parents have in the ability of Dubai private schools to give their children an education that can meet the demands of the future,” said Dr Abdulla Al Karam, KHDA's director general.

KHDA releases such surveys every few months. Its last report was in April.

Dubai's top-ranked schools - in pictures

Dubai English Speaking School (Dess), one of the oldest schools in the country, was established in 1963 in a room of a residential villa in Dubai. Ruel Pableo / The National

Located in Barsha South, Gems Dubai American Academy focuses on celebrating diversity, resilience, creativity and driving positive change. Reem Mohammed / The National

The Jumeirah English Speaking School at Arabian Ranches. The non-profit school was started in an apartment in Deira in 1975 with only 17 pupils. Stephen Lock / The National

Dubai College in Al Sufouh is one of the oldest in the city and often touted as one of the best in the emirate. Pawan Singh / The National

Gems Modern Academy, located in Nad Al Sheba 3, was founded in 1986 and is the only Indian curriculum school in Dubai to be ranked as outstanding by the KHDA. Victor Besa / The National

Located in Emirates Hills, Dubai British School has 1,171 pupils and is sought after by families. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Horizons English school, situated in Dubai’s Al Wasl area, caters to foundation stage one to Year 6, with almost 1,000 pupils enrolled. Photo: Horizons English School

Kings School Barsha is a relatively new school, opening in September 2014, and has managed to achieve a DSIB score of 'outstanding' in its last two inspections. Satish Kumar / The National

Located in Umm Suqeim, close to Burj Al Arab, Kings School Dubai offers primary education for children aged 3 to 11. Photo: Kings School

Gems Wellington International School in Al Sufouh offers both the UK curriculum and the International Baccalaureate programme. Antonie Robertson / The National

The Repton School located in Nad El Sheba is one of three branches in the UAE. Photo: Repton Dubai

Gems Jumeirah Primary School in Jumeirah 3 is one of the most sought-after primary schools in the emirate and has been rated 'outstanding' since 2010 by the KHDA. Photo: Jumeirah Primary School

Jumeirah College, a UK curriculum school located in Al Safa 1, has 1,125 pupils from 59 countries. Photo: Jumeirah College

Pupils at Lycee Francais International Georges Pompidou have a consistently outstanding performance in mathematics across all ages, DSIB's latest quality indicators report showed. Pawan Singh / The National

Jumeirah English Speaking School at Al Safa 1 has a little more than 2,000 pupils. Pawan Singh / The National

Dubai English Speaking College at Academic City was established with the aim of providing quality British education for pupils up to the age of 18 and preparing them for entry into university. Pawan Singh / The National

Victory Heights Primary School, located in the heart of the Sports City community opened in 2012. Teaching the British curriculum, it has just under 1,000 pupils. Pawan Singh / The National

The Nord Anglia International School Dubai, located in Al Barsha 3, teaches pupils from early years up to Year 13. Photo: Nord Anglia International School Dubai

Dubai International Academy opened in Emirates Hills in 2005. It has more than 2,600 pupils, ranging in ages from 3 to 18. Reem Mohammed / The National

Deira International School, in Al Badia, Festival City, has just over 1,800 pupils enrolled, ranging in age from 3 to 18. Photo: Deira International School