A total of 23 schools have been rated Outstanding, 48 Very Good and 85 Good 

Dubai, Jun 21, 2024: About 81% of students in Dubai attend private schools rated Good or higher compared to 77% in the previous year’s inspection cycle, as per results released by Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). The improvement has benefitted nearly 49,500 students. 

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. 

Aisha Abdulla Miran, Director General of KHDA says, “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.” 

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 highe, 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. 

Inclusive education has improved, with a substantial 76% of schools now providing Good or higher rated provisions for students of determination. Well-being provision remains a strong focus, with 83% of schools offering well-being provision rated Good or higher. 

Meanwhile, 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.