Top 20 Best Ranking Schools in Dubai for 2014

When you move to new place it is always difficult to find a best school for your children. You have to consider many things before admission. Especially if you are moved to Dubai, You may not know that Expats are not allowed at public schools in Dubai. So you have to choose wisely which private school you need to admit your kids. Getting into universities in Dubai is rather easy compare to get admission in to schools in Dubai.

Top 20 Best Schools in Dubai

Because of the multicultural society there are schools with almost all curriculum like UK, US, Indian, International Baccalaureate, French, Japanese, Pakistani, German etc. So first of all you have to decide which curriculum is best for your kid. Then to consider school ranking and environment etc.

Every year the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) and Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) inspect and publish schools ranking according to safety, teaching standards, learning support, class sizes, curriculum, cleanliness, food, exam results and so on. Once schools have been inspected they will be classed in to one of four categories: Outstanding, Good, Acceptable, Unacceptable. Currently DSIB and KHDA annually inspects 141 private schools in Dubai.

According to the latest school ranking published in April 2014, there are 12 schools in category “Outstanding”. Number of students attending Outstanding schools in Dubai have increased 6% from last year ranking. Last year there were only 11 schools ranked “Outstanding” so authorities are working hard to increase the standard of schools and education level at primary and secondary schools in Dubai.

Here is a list of Top 20 Best Ranking Schools in Dubai 2014.

Top Highest Ranking Schools in Dubai for 2014

#School NameCurriculum2013 Ranking2014 Ranking
1Kings School DubaiUKOutstandingOutstanding
2GEMS Wellington International SchoolUK/IBOutstandingOutstanding
3Jumeirah CollegeUKOutstandingOutstanding
4Jumeirah English Speaking SchoolUKOutstandingOutstanding
5Dubai CollegeUKOutstandingOutstanding
6GEMS Jumeirah Primary SchoolUKOutstandingOutstanding
7Jumeirah English Speaking School (Br)UK/IBOutstandingOutstanding
8GEMS Dubai American AcademyUSOutstandingOutstanding
9GEMS Modern AcademyIndianOutstandingOutstanding
10The Indian High SchoolIndianOutstandingOutstanding
11Dubai English Speaking CollegeUKOutstandingOutstanding
12Horizons English SchoolUKOutstandingOutstanding
13Jebel Ali Primary schoolUKGoodGood
14Al Mizhar American Academy SchoolUSGoodGood
15American School of DubaiUSGoodGood
16Dubai English Speaking SchoolUKGoodGood
17Dubai National SchoolUSGoodGood
18GEMS Wellington Primary SchoolUKGoodGood
19Japanese SchoolJapaneseGoodGood
20Lycee Francais InternationalFrenchGoodGood

How to Choose Best School in Dubai for Your Kids

There are five factors which can help you choose perfect school for your kids.

CurriculumThis is a balance of supply and demand for that curriculum.
KHDA RankingA school is not necessarily popular because it is ranked Outstanding, It is popular because it is outstanding.
Age GroupAt the brunt of demand are early years education. Schools have time to gear up to the growth at the front end of the education cycle.
Age of SchoolThis affects the perception, and knowledge of a school. A well established school will simply have more channels funneling students towards it, with word of mouth probably being the most important.
Price of SchoolThis is too simplistic to say the cheaper the school the more popular it will be. Price plays a role, but will be a secondary not defining element of a Which School equation.

Things to Keep in Mind

IB and UK curriculum schools scoring significantly higher than their peers and already closing in on the benchmarks set in the UAE for 2021. Higher performance in these tests is reflected in the ratings of schools in the UAE by the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB). Two thirds of Outstanding schools in the emirate are either UK or IB schools.

Note however, that this is not necessarily to do with the curriculum. UK and IB schools tend to be the most expensive, charge the highest fees, and therefore are the most well funded schools in Dubai.